#Environment RSS feed Nuclear power RSS feed Energy RSS feed Carbon emissions RSS feed Politics RSS feed Liberal-Conservative coalition RSS feed UK news RSS feed Business RSS feed Energy industry RSS feed Turn autoplay off Turn autoplay on Please activate cookies in order to turn autoplay off * Jump to content [s] * Jump to comments [c] * Jump to site navigation [0] * Jump to search [4] * Terms and conditions [8] Edition: UK * US Sign in Mobile * Your profile * Your details * Your comments * Your clippings * Your lists Sign out Mobile About us * About us * Contact us * Press office * Guardian Print Centre * Guardian readers' editor * Observer readers' editor * Terms of service * Privacy policy * Advertising guide * Digital archive * Digital edition * Guardian Weekly * Buy Guardian and Observer photos Today's paper * The Observer * Comment * Sport * New Review * Magazine * Observer Food Monthly Subscribe * Subscribe to the Guardian * iPhone app * iPad edition * Kindle * Extra * Guardian Weekly * Digital edition * All our services The Guardian home ____________________ [Environment__] Search * News * Sport * Comment * Culture * Business * Money * Life & style * Travel * Environment * Tech * TV * Video * Dating * Offers * Jobs * Environment * Nuclear power Coalition to announce support for new nuclear power Government will ease the way for extra plants but not provide subsidies, energy minister Charles Hendry to tell industry chiefs * Share * Tweet this * * * Email * Press Association * guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 16 June 2010 11.05 BST Jump to comments (…) Sizewell B nuclear plant A worker stands in front of a turbine at Sizewell B nuclear power station in Suffolk. The coalition government is signalling to energy industry chiefs that it will support new nuclear power. Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA Energy minister Charles Hendry will today set out the government's support for new nuclear power, in the face of opposition from the Tories' coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats. Hendry will tell the Nuclear Industry Forum that there is a role for new nuclear plants, provided they do not require public subsidies. In one of the key differences between the two coalition parties, the Tories back a new generation of private sector-funded nuclear power stations while the Lib Dems have long opposed new nuclear build. The Tory junior minister, who works under Lib Dem energy secretary Chris Huhne, said conversations he has had with companies suggest they are willing to invest without being subsidised. But the government will take steps to remove "unnecessary" barriers to building new nuclear power stations. Government support is likely to include a strong floor price for carbon, which could be introduced in next week's emergency budget. This would push up the price of allowances for polluting and incentivise investment in low-carbon power such as nuclear. Hendry is expected to tell the forum in Westminster: "The coalition agreement clearly sees a role for new nuclear, provided that there is no public subsidy. "We are clear. It is for private sector energy companies to construct, operate and decommission new nuclear plants. "It will be for us to ensure the appropriate levels of safety, security and environmental regulation." He will also tell industry leaders: "From the commitment I've seen from the nuclear industry, I have no doubt that you can rise to the challenge. "Nuclear power can have a key role in our energy mix. But I appreciate clarity from us is essential if new investment is to happen. "I am pleased that some of those most interested in new nuclear, such as EDF, have welcomed the coalition's position on nuclear." Under the coalition agreement between the Tories and Lib Dems, the government will bring forward a national planning statement to parliament that will pave the way for new nuclear build. Lib Dems will be allowed to speak against the plans but the party's MPs will abstain from the vote. * Print this Print this * Share * Contact us Send to a friend Close this popup Sender's name ____________________ Recipient's email address ____________________ Send Your IP address will be logged Share Close this popup Short link for this page: http://gu.com/p/2hyzj * StumbleUpon * reddit * Tumblr * Digg * LinkedIn * Google Bookmarks * del.icio.us * livejournal * Facebook * Twitter Contact us Close this popup * Contact the Environment editor environment@guardian.co.uk * Report errors or inaccuracies: reader@guardian.co.uk * Letters for publication should be sent to: letters@guardian.co.uk * If you need help using the site: userhelp@guardian.co.uk * Call the main Guardian and Observer switchboard: +44 (0)20 3353 2000 * + Advertising guide + License/buy our content Article history About this article Close this popup Coalition to announce support for new nuclear power This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 11.05 BST on Wednesday 16 June 2010. 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All today's stories Guardian environment journalists Follow the latest environment news, comment and analysis on Twitter * LeoHickman LeoHickman: Extraordinary comment from journal editor on why cntroversial paper on atmospheric physics hs finally bn published http://t.co/01JRA2E8 #eg about 1 day, 4 hours ago * LeoHickman LeoHickman: A climate sceptic writes to The Times... in 1875 (2/2) #eg http://t.co/nebqTNwM about 1 day, 8 hours ago * LeoHickman LeoHickman: A climate sceptic writes to The Times...in 1875 (1/2) #eg http://t.co/LaHBYiG5 about 1 day, 8 hours ago ⢠Follow our journalists on a Twitter list Find the cheapest gas & electricity deals Compare 1,000s of tariff deals from top suppliers Enter your postcode: ____________________ Select your usage: ( ) Low (*) Medium ( ) High Calculate Guardian Bookshop This week's bestsellers 1. How to Build a Habitable Planet 1. How to Build a Habitable Planet by Langmuir £22.36 2. 2. London's Lost Rivers by Paul Talling £7.99 3. 3. 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Teach Yourself Geology by David Rothery £10.39 Search the Guardian bookshop ____________________ (Submit) Search Sponsored feature Top stories in this section Top videos Most popular Today in pictures * sports peronality 2012 BBC Sports Personality of the Year â in pictures Bradley Wiggins capped his remarkable sporting year by taking home the big prize at the ceremony in London * Martin Parr's M Video Christmas party photograph Dinner, dusk and dancing Russians: my best winter shot A glass of wine with a rough sleeper, Santa in trunks, a thousand partying Muscovites ⦠in a My Best Shot special, top photographers pick the image that sums up winter for them * Kimon, a long-tailed monkey grooms a kitten, whom, she treats as her baby, Bintan Island, Indonesia Monkey adopts kitten â in pictures Kimon, an eight-year-old pet female long-tailed monkey, treats a kitten as her baby in Bintan Island, Indonesia * Hot topics * Climate change news * Climate change facts * Green news roundup * Green living * Sea ice * License/buy our content | * Privacy policy | * Terms & conditions | * Advertising guide | * Accessibility | * A-Z index | * Inside the Guardian blog | * About us | * Work for us | * Join our dating site today * © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. * Share * Tweet this * * Quantcast #Environment RSS feed Nuclear power RSS feed Nuclear waste RSS feed Energy RSS feed Waste RSS feed Society RSS feed Health RSS feed Cancer RSS feed Science RSS feed Medical research RSS feed Cancer RSS feed Energy research RSS feed UK news RSS feed Turn autoplay off Turn autoplay on Please activate cookies in order to turn autoplay off * Jump to content [s] * Jump to comments [c] * Jump to site navigation [0] * Jump to search [4] * Terms and conditions [8] Edition: UK * US Sign in Mobile * Your profile * Your details * Your comments * Your clippings * Your lists Sign out Mobile About us * About us * Contact us * Press office * Guardian Print Centre * Guardian readers' editor * Observer readers' editor * Terms of service * Privacy policy * Advertising guide * Digital archive * Digital edition * Guardian Weekly * Buy Guardian and Observer photos Today's paper * The Observer * Comment * Sport * New Review * Magazine * Observer Food Monthly Subscribe * Subscribe to the Guardian * iPhone app * iPad edition * Kindle * Extra * Guardian Weekly * Digital edition * All our services The Guardian home ____________________ [Environment__] Search * News * Sport * Comment * Culture * Business * Money * Life & style * Travel * Environment * Tech * TV * Video * Dating * Offers * Jobs * Environment * Nuclear power Irrational fears give nuclear power a bad name, says Oxford scientist Wade Allison says misplaced health stigma has prevented the full benefits of nuclear energy being explored * Share * Tweet this * * * Email * Alok Jha and Sarah Boseley * The Guardian, Sunday 10 January 2010 20.32 GMT Jump to comments (…) Anti-nuclear protesters in Germany Protesters carry a mock-up of a nuclear waste drum during a demonstration against Germany's nuclear power policies. Photograph: Theo Heimann/AFP/Getty Images The health dangers from nuclear radiation have been oversold, stopping governments from fully exploiting nuclear power as a weapon against climate change, argues a professor of physics at Oxford University. Wade Allison does not question the dangers of high levels of radiation but says that, contrary to scientific wisdom, low levels of radiation can be easily tolerated by the human body. Most scientists who have responded disagreed with Allison's conclusions, but his comments have highlighted the lack of understanding of how the body deals with low doses of radiation, a crucial issue given it is increasingly used in modern medical procedures such as scanning and cancer treatment. Nuclear crises, from the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to the meltdown of a nuclear reactor at Chernobyl, have created widespread fear and distrust of nuclear power, and global pressure to keep radiation at the lowest possible level, according to Allison, a particle physicist who makes his arguments in a self-published book, Radiation and Reason. He says long-term data on the health of survivors of the atomic bombs have demonstrated how good the human body is at protecting itself from radiological and chemical attack. "The ability to repair damage and replace cells, we discovered in the last 50 years, show how radiation doesn't cause damage except under extreme circumstances," he says. "The radiation that a patient gets in one day from a course of radiotherapy treatment, it would take a million hours of exposure for someone standing in the radioactive waste hall of Sellafield. And, if you have radiotherapy, it goes on for several weeks." Ionising radiation, the type from nuclear reactions, can break strands of DNA in cells and these can make a cell cancerous unless the body's machinery can fix the damage. Scientists have used data from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, plus that from experiments on animals and cell cultures, to create a measure of how much damage is caused by high levels of radiation. This has then been extrapolated back, in a straight line, to estimate the potential damage from low levels of radiation to create what is called the linear non-threshold (LNT) model. "The problem with a lot of these discussions is that you eventually get to the point where you don't have any more data," said Professor Gillies McKenna of Oxford University, Cancer Research UK's expert on radiation oncology. "Even the data from Hiroshima and Nagasaki â there weren't enormous numbers of cancers created in those cases, so we have to extrapolate what we think would happen at low dose." Since the end of the second world war, scientists have worked on the basis that there is no dose of radiation so low that it is not dangerous. Allison, however, believes there is a threshold below which any radiation exposure is fully repaired by the body â but this is a view mainstream scientists disagree with. "I wouldn't say Allison's ideas are fanciful but when you weigh up all the evidence, the scientific authorities come to the conclusion that the LNT dose-response relationship for low doses is the best we can do," says Richard Wakeford, an epidemiologist specialising in the health effects of radiation at the University of Manchester. Allison's hypothesis assumes that all of the DNA damage caused below a threshold of radiation dose can be fixed by the cells' internal machinery. "I can't see and nor do the majority of experts in the field how these processes can be 100% effective," said Wakeford. "Radiation is particularly effective at causing double-strand DNA breaks, which make it difficult for the repair mechanisms in the cells to repair them properly." Where McKenna and other scientists do agree with Allison is that fear of radiation is a problem. McKenna's expertise is in the use of radiation to kill cancer cells. "People become so fearful of radiation that they avoid diagnostic tests that might save their lives or avoid radiotherapy when they have cancer that is much more likely to kill them than exposure to radiation. He [Allison] is right that it has become a little bit hysterical. People are now avoiding CT scans or avoiding building nuclear power stations when in most aspects, radiation is a very useful thing." Half of cancer patients will be given radiotherapy and more than half of those will be cured by it, McKenna said. "In most instances, where you use radiation â certainly in medicine and in most other forms of industry â the benefits greatly outweigh the risks." Treatment involves a dose of radiation directed at the cancer cells which is 10 to 20 times the dose that would be fatal directed to the whole body. Some areas of the country, such as Devon and Cornwall, have naturally high levels of radiation in the rock, and yet they do not have high incidence of cancer. "It would suggest to me that we can tolerate relatively higher doses of radiation, unless you add things on top like smoking," said McKenna, adding that there were good scientists on both sides of the debate, "but you reach a point where you can't generate the data you need and I do think we need to be careful not to exaggerate the risks and increase the fears." Nothing has generated quite as much cancer concern in the UK as Sellafield power station in Cumbria. Concern about radiation leaks at the plant, known as Windscale when it was commissioned in 1956, grew over the years until in 1983, Yorkshire Television produced a documentary called The Nuclear Laundry, suggesting low-level radiation emissions posed a risk. In the 1990s clusters of childhood leukaemia cases were identified near the site. Investigating those concerns has been the preoccupation of Comare, the government's expert committee on the medical aspects of radiation, since it was set up in 1985. After years of painstaking work and many reports, it has yet to establish a link between radiation and childhood leukaemia. The evidence for some sort of infection, possibly caused by the movement from one area to another of people working at the plant, is far stronger. Comare's chairman, Alex Elliott, a professor of clinical physics at Glasgow University, says there is a wide spectrum of views on the dangers of low-level radiation. "There are those who believe people like me are part of an international conspiracy to hide the dangers of radiation from the public," he said. At the other end are the believers in "radiation hormesis", who say we live in a beneficent soup of low-dose radiation, which is essential for life and may even prevent cancer deaths. Elliott steers a middle path. "The Comare view, along with the consensus worldwide, is that the current risk estimates are broadly correct," he said. "They keep being revised but if they are wrong, it is by no more than a factor of two or three in each direction." And, he said, "we believe the linear hypothesis should continue to be used." It is almost impossible, he said, to carry out experiments that would prove that low-level radiation is dangerous or is not, because the risks are so small. But radiation generates fear, he said. "Because we can't see, hear, smell or touch it, we are much less tolerant of radiation than anything else. We are definitely hysterical about radiation. We go to enormous lengths on the precautionary principle. "I don't know how many people are killed on the roads each year, but we live with that. We're not thinking of banning trucks. We're incredibly bad at risk-benefit analysis." But Wakeford said that calculating the risks of low-level radiation is becoming increasingly important. "One of the big issues today is just how you manage these new, relatively high-dose diagnostic procedures like CT scans. This is probably the big issue as far as low doses are concerned. In the US, remarkably, the average citizen receives more dose from medical diagnostic procedures than he receives from background radiation, which is a dramatic increase from the last time this was assessed about 20 or so years ago. When you come to make an assessment about balance of risk about whether to give a child a CT scan or not, these are real considerations, not hypothetical at all." Comare, in a rare respite from studying leukaemia clusters at nuclear installations, recently produced a hard-hitting report on sunbeds, calling for a ban on their use by under-18s. "At the minute, it would appear that more people are damaged by sunbeds than by nuclear power in the UK," Elliott said. Reasons to be fearful? Expert views Mike Clark, scientific spokesman for the Health Protection Agency "There is an international scientific consensus about the health effects of ionising radiation which is based on decades of research worldwide. This is the so-called linear hypothesis, by which you extrapolate health effects observed at high doses to calculate risks at low doses. There are scientists who disagree with this and clearly Professor Allison is one of them. However there are also some scientists who claim the linear hypothesis can underestimate risks. "The Health Protection Agency accepts the scientific consensus and bases its advice on recommendations from the International Commission on Radiological Protection." Professor Steve Jones of Westlakes Research Institute, who published research on the health of the former British Nuclear Fuels workforce and the link between high radiation doses and heart disease "One of the problems, is that the effect of radiation at low doses is very difficult to determine from observational science because the effects are small. The cancer risk to any group of people over a lifetime is 25% and if you look at whether radiation will increase over that you will struggle to get a clear result. Another reason to be cautious is because some studies suggest that the risk of radiation may be an increase in circulatory diseases as well. A good judgement based on all the scientific information available is it would be unwise to move away from what we have." Richard Wakeford, visiting professor of epidemiology at the University of Manchester "I do not find [Allison's] these arguments particularly convincing. I have to say, when I've reviewed the evidence, it is very difficult to detect the adverse effects of radiation at low levels because the predicted excess risk of cancer is small and is easily hidden in the noise of other factors like smoking and diet and drinking. All the people who hang on to these arguments are missing the point. If you take the evidence as a whole from radiation epidemiology, there's probably a risk from cancer arising from small doses of radiation [and] they're around about what you get from a linear no-threshold dose response." Susan Short, clinical senior lecturer in oncology at University College London "I do have sympathy with the view that the effects of radiation have been overestimated but it reflects ignorance in the community about radiation; it's still portrayed as a dangerous unknown though we understand a lot about it really. People have such poor understanding of risk â these people who go and demonstrate against local nuclear power plants are the same as those who will happily smoke 20 cigarettes a day or lead high-risk lifestyles and don't see the irony." * Print this Print this * Share * Contact us Send to a friend Close this popup Sender's name ____________________ Recipient's email address ____________________ Send Your IP address will be logged Share Close this popup Short link for this page: http://gu.com/p/2dm4a * StumbleUpon * reddit * Tumblr * Digg * LinkedIn * Google Bookmarks * del.icio.us * livejournal * Facebook * Twitter Contact us Close this popup * Contact the Environment editor environment@guardian.co.uk * Report errors or inaccuracies: reader@guardian.co.uk * Letters for publication should be sent to: letters@guardian.co.uk * If you need help using the site: userhelp@guardian.co.uk * Call the main Guardian and Observer switchboard: +44 (0)20 3353 2000 * + Advertising guide + License/buy our content Article history About this article Close this popup Irrational fears give nuclear power a bad name, says Oxford scientist This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 20.32 GMT on Sunday 10 January 2010. A version appeared on p16 of the Main section section of the Guardian on Monday 11 January 2010. It was last modified at 13.34 GMT on Monday 11 January 2010. Environment * Nuclear power · * Nuclear waste · * Energy · * Waste Society * Health · * Cancer Science * Medical research · * Cancer · * Energy research UK news More news * More on this story * Chernobyl figures still in dispute * Radiation symbol Nuclear radiation risk: The current consensus The health dangers from radiation have been oversold, according to an Oxford professor, stopping governments from fully exploiting nuclear power. But what do we currently understand about radiation and its risks? * Simon Jenkins: Risk from radiation is exaggerated * Costs of managing risk slows construction of power stations * More on nuclear power * Share * Tweet this * * * Email Comments Click here to join the discussion. We can't load the discussion on guardian.co.uk because you don't have JavaScript enabled. 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All today's stories NHS news on Twitter Follow the latest news on the NHS reforms with our team of health specialists * patrickjbutler patrickjbutler: Thousands march in London against #Lewisham hospital closures http://t.co/zKH8Qenw #NHS about 4 hours, 57 minutes ago * patrickjbutler patrickjbutler: Society daily: NHS reconfiguration, adoption, gay marriage, superbugs, social care, death rates, crime rates http://t.co/RrkyqkMF about 2 days, 1 hour ago * Claire_Phipps Claire_Phipps: Jeez: Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust apologises after a baby was found with a dummy taped to its face (PA reporting) about 2 days, 1 hour ago ⢠Follow our health specialists on this Twitter list ⢠Find more tweets from our health team Find the cheapest gas & electricity deals Compare 1,000s of tariff deals from top suppliers Enter your postcode: ____________________ Select your usage: ( ) Low (*) Medium ( ) High Calculate Guardian Bookshop This week's bestsellers 1. How to Build a Habitable Planet 1. How to Build a Habitable Planet by Langmuir £22.36 2. 2. London's Lost Rivers by Paul Talling £7.99 3. 3. Structural Geology by Haakon Fossen £40.00 4. 4. Pocket Book of Weather by Michael Bright £8.00 5. 5. Teach Yourself Geology by David Rothery £10.39 Search the Guardian bookshop ____________________ (Submit) Search Sponsored feature Top stories in this section Top videos Most popular Today in pictures * sports peronality 2012 BBC Sports Personality of the Year â in pictures Bradley Wiggins capped his remarkable sporting year by taking home the big prize at the ceremony in London * Martin Parr's M Video Christmas party photograph Dinner, dusk and dancing Russians: my best winter shot A glass of wine with a rough sleeper, Santa in trunks, a thousand partying Muscovites ⦠in a My Best Shot special, top photographers pick the image that sums up winter for them * Kimon, a long-tailed monkey grooms a kitten, whom, she treats as her baby, Bintan Island, Indonesia Monkey adopts kitten â in pictures Kimon, an eight-year-old pet female long-tailed monkey, treats a kitten as her baby in Bintan Island, Indonesia * Hot topics * Climate change news * Climate change facts * Green news roundup * Green living * Sea ice * License/buy our content | * Privacy policy | * Terms & conditions | * Advertising guide | * Accessibility | * A-Z index | * Inside the Guardian blog | * About us | * Work for us | * Join our dating site today * © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. * Share * Tweet this * * Quantcast #A to Z BBC Help Terms of Use BBC Accessibility links * Skip to content * Skip to local navigation * Accessibility Help bbc.co.uk navigation * News * Sport * Weather * Travel * Future * Autos * TV * Radio * More… Search term: ____________________ (Submit) Search BBC News UK Politics * Home * UK * Africa * Asia * Europe * Latin America * Mid-East * US & Canada * Business * Health * Sci/Environment * Tech * Entertainment * Video * England * Northern Ireland * Scotland * Wales * UK Politics * Education 18 October 2010 Last updated at 15:52 GMT Share this page * Delicious * Digg * Facebook * reddit * StumbleUpon * Twitter * Email * Print Nuclear power: Eight sites identified for future plants Sizewell B nuclear power station The government says nuclear has a definite role to play in the UK's future energy supply Continue reading the main story Related Stories * Q&A: Nuclear power expansion * Is this the end for UK tidal power? * Nuclear Europe: Country guide The government has identified eight sites in England and Wales as suitable for future nuclear power stations while ruling out a further three. Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said Dungeness in Kent and both Braystones and Kirksanton in Cumbria were not suitable for environmental reasons. While nuclear had a key role to play, he hoped half of all new capacity by 2025 would come from renewables. But he ruled out plans for a tidal energy scheme on the Severn estuary. Funding a Severn barrage with public money would be "very costly", he said, and as finding private investment would be challenging, other options should be pursued. The last Labour government approved eleven locations as suitable for new nuclear plants by 2025 - most on the site of existing plants - but this has been cut to eight as part of a revised draft policy statement presented to Parliament on Monday. Urgent investment The possible locations are: Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex; Hartlepool; Heysham, Lancashire; Hinkley Point, Somerset; Oldbury, Gloucestershire; Sellafield, Cumbria; Sizewell, Suffolk and Wylfa on the Isle of Anglesey. Map showing possible nuclear power stations The BBC's Environmental Analyst Roger Harrabin said this did not mean the projects - which would be subject to planning permission - would go ahead as Mr Huhne has insisted there would be no public subsidies available for them. Nuclear power is a potential flashpoint within the coalition government with many leading Lib Dems sceptical about the merits of a new generation of nuclear plants and the Conservatives more enthusiastic. Roger Harrabin said the definition of what constituted a subsidy was likely to be fought over in the coming months. Critics say the UK is at risk of an energy crisis by the middle of the next decade when many of the existing nuclear plants will reach the end of their lives. Continue reading the main story “Start Quote The Liberal Democrats need to stay true to their supporters by dropping the costly distraction of nuclear power ” End Quote Jim Footner Greenpeace Mr Huhne said the country needed a diverse energy mix with contributions from all sectors but with more emphasis on renewables such as wind power. "I'm fed up with the stand-off between advocates of renewables and of nuclear which means we have neither," he said. "We urgently need investment in new and diverse energy sources to power the UK. We'll need renewables, new nuclear, fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage and the cables to hook them all up to the National Grid as a large slice of our current generating capacity shuts down." Many Lib Dem MPs have traditionally been opposed to further nuclear expansion but Mr Huhne told the BBC the issue was not a "toxic" one among his colleagues. A majority of MPs in Parliament - including most Conservatives and Labour members - are in favour of building more nuclear plants and Mr Huhne said the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition agreement had made it "very clear" nuclear would be included in the country's future energy mix. "A deal is a deal. I am there to deliver it," he said. Democratic engagement The list of potential sites is confined to England and Wales as the Scottish government has said it is opposed to future nuclear expansion. Environmental campaigners Greenpeace said the economics of nuclear power "simply did not add up". Chris Huhne Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Chris Huhne: "The idea that somehow this was toxic from the point of view of my Liberal Democrat colleagues is clearly incorrect" "Lib Dem voters backed a party that supported renewable energy, opposed taxpayer handouts to the nuclear industry and supported full democratic engagement in the planning process," said Jim Footner, head of its climate and energy campaign. "And local democracy is being kicked out of the door when it comes to nuclear sites. Lib Dem supporters must be furious that local communities will have little say about nuclear power stations in their area, other than choosing the colour of the gates. "The Liberal Democrats need to stay true to their supporters by dropping the costly distraction of nuclear power and start investing in the clean, renewable and efficient technologies that will tackle climate change and provide tens of thousands of new British jobs." 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Take Action * Investigations * Multimedia * Subscribers Area * Calendar * Green Directory * Reviews * Blogs and Comments * newsletter * Trial Investigations * Ecologist Partners * NUS Sound Impact Awards * This month 30 years ago from the Ecologist archive * Interviews * How To Make A Difference * Ethical Christmas Gifts * Galleries * Guides * Advertorials * Jobs * 40 years ago * NUS * Competitions * The Brofiscin Monsanto Files * Satish's Diary * Satish Kumar * Magazine [77796.gif] Home | News | News In Brief [rsslogo.gif] SEARCH ____________________ Go Nuclear power station Majority of public would like to see more investment in renewables and not nuclear power IFRAME: b017be More articles about nuclear | energy | renewables | society Related Articles * Ecologist Partners: Triodos Bank * This week's changes to the Ecologist.org * Climate change 'will wreak havoc on Britain's coastline by 2050' * Huhne accused of 'hypocrisy' for promoting offshore oil in Scotland and Arctic * Tanzania urged to accept World Bank funding of alternative Serengeti highway route Nuclear power debate still divides UK public opinion Ecologist 11th June, 2010 Tweet The majority of the public feels the risks of nuclear power outweigh the benefits and would prefer to see more investment into renewable energy, a new poll shows Public support for replacing the UK's ageing nuclear power stations has changed little since 2006 when the Government announced its support for a generation of new plants, according to a new survey. Just 38 per cent of respondents to a Cardiff University/Ipsos MORI poll believed the benefits of nuclear power outweighed the risks and only 39 per cent trusted the industry to run the plants safely. The survey of 1,822 people across England, Scotland and Wales also found that just 39 per cent trusted the Government to adequately regulate the nuclear industry. Researchers did find a slight increase in support for nuclear when people were asked about tackling climate change or energy security - 56 per cent would accept the building of new nuclear power stations if it would help tackle climate change. 58 per cent of respondents also believed that the UK needed a mix of energy sources to ensure a reliable supply of electricity, but said that this did not need to include nuclear power. Renewables support The vast majority of respondents wanted more investment in renewables, with 71 per cent saying promoting solar and wind power was a better way of tackling climate change than nuclear power. 'In terms of developing a low carbon energy economy for Britain, renewables are clearly favoured whilst nuclear power remains unpopular but may be accepted alongside the development of a range of other energy sources,' said research leader Professor Nick Pidgeon, from Cardiff University. The survey also showed that there has been a decline in concern about climate change since 2005 (from 82 to 71 per cent) but that the majority (78 per cent) still believes the world's climate is changing. However, a sizeable number (40 per cent) considered the seriousness of climate change had been exaggerated. Useful links Read the survey results in full Add to StumbleUpon READ MORE... COMMENT The Government has found a backhanded way to subsidise nuclear power 21st century nuclear power needs a 21st century subsidy... no blank cheques this time - just an apparently green tweak to the emissions trading system, and voila! INVESTIGATION Think nuclear is clean energy? Ask the Nigeriens As the new nuclear renaissance grows, so too does uranium extraction. In Niger, which boasts some of the world's richest deposits, NGOs say that the poor are being exploited for the West's 'clean energy' NEWS Finance, not politics, the main obstacle to nuclear, say campaigners Nuclear industry's need for subsidies rather than political opposition remains main obstacle to building of a new generation of power plants in the UK NEWS Government approves ten new sites for nuclear power Environmental groups say nuclear power will create a legacy of waste and undermine the UK's drive towards an economy based on renewable energy LETTER Letter: everyone suffers from new nuclear It's not just the UK that suffers from the Government's new fervour for nuclear power; communities worldwide will feel the folly of the move... [112093.jpg] Previous Articles... facebook twitter digg delicious furl stumbleupon | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) | Email a Friend | Print this Members ECOLOGIST COOKIES Using this website means you agree to us using simple cookies. 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FOLLOW THE ECOLOGIST [132471.gif] [132472.gif] [132473.gif] Home | Contact us | About us | Terms and Conditions FAQs | RSS Feeds | Report Spam | Cookies Quantcast #RSS Feed for Earth News articles - Telegraph.co.uk < img alt="dcsimg" id="dcsimg" width="1" height="1" src="//webtrends.telegraph.co.uk/dcsshgbi400000gscd62rrg43_4o2o/njs.gif ?MLC=&Channel=&Genre=&Category=&Content_Type=&Level=&source=&dcsuri=/no javascript&WT.js=No&WT.tv=10.2.10&dcssip=www.telegraph.co.uk"/> [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] Accessibility links * Skip to article * Skip to navigation [telegraph_print_190.gif] Advertisement Telegraph.co.uk ___________________ Submit Sunday 27 January 2013 * Home * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Blogs * Culture * Travel * Life * Fashion * Tech * Dating * Offers * Jobs * Politics * Obits * Education * Earth * Science * Defence * Health * Scotland * Royal * Celebrities * Weird * Earth News * Environment * Climate Change * Wildlife * Outdoors * Picture Galleries * Earth Video 1. Home» 2. Earth» 3. Earth News Ten UK nuclear power stations by 2020 Business and Industry Secretary John Hutton speaks to Andy Swift, Control Room Supervisor, at Sizewell B Business and Industry Secretary John Hutton speaks to Andy Swift, Control Room Supervisor, at Sizewell B By Andrew Porter and Charles Clover 7:00PM GMT 10 Jan 2008 Comments Comments Up to 10 nuclear power stations could be built in Britain by 2020 - after the Government paved the way for a new era of energy supply. * The new generation of nuclear power stations * Charles Clover: Earthlog * Have your say: Do you support a new era of nuclear energy? A looming energy crisis caused by unstable supplies of gas and oil has forced the Government to back nuclear which will also help meet global climate change targets. The French-owned company EDF announced their plans to build four power stations in Britain - the first by 2017 - immediately after Business and Industry Secretary John Hutton told MPs that nuclear would give Britain "safe and affordable" energy. The German power company, E.On, formerly Powergen, the British Gas parent Centrica and RWE npower, Britain's largest electricity supplier, also expressed interest in building nuclear stations at a likely cost of £2.8 billion apiece. Environmentalists and some Labour MPs attacked the plans which they said would be costly and dangerous. But Mr Hutton said there would be no Government subsidies on offer and it was up to companies to come forward with plans. Related Articles * Leader: Finally, the nuclear option 10 Jan 2008 * Nuclear Q & A 10 Jan 2008 * Nuclear power 'increases child leukaemia risk' 10 Jan 2008 He said: "Giving the go ahead today that new nuclear power should play a role in providing the UK with clean, secure and affordable energy is in our country's vital long term interest. "Set against the challenges of climate change and security of supply, the evidence in support of new nuclear power stations is compelling. We should positively embrace the opportunity of delivering this important part of our energy policy." He said with a third of the UK's generating capacity coming offline within the next 20 years, and increasing reliance on imported energy, it was clear that investment was needed. The new plants are likely to be at existing nuclear sites, with the main contenders including Sizewell in Suffolk, Dungeness in Kent, Hinkley Point in Somerset and Bradwell in Essex. Mr Hutton said changes to the planning laws would speed up the process. He added that he hoped the new reactors would be up and running "well before 2020." Crucial to the acceptance by the power companies and the City was the Government's decision to cap liabilities for decommissioning and the disposal of waste in "extreme circumstances," leaving the taxpayer exposed if cost estimates are wrong. However, it says companies will pay their share of disposing of waste in the deep geological repository which will take up to 25 years to site and build. Mr Hutton denied that this was an attempt to smuggle a subsidy for operating costs through the back door. He said: "If there is a catastrophic event that affects the public's health and safety it is right that the Government uses all its resources to protect the public." The Government will also intervene if the carbon market does not set a price high enough to make carbon-free forms of electricity generation cheaper. EDF, the world's leading nuclear power station operator, responded to the announcement by saying it would build four nuclear power plants in Britain. The company's chief executive Vincent de Rivaz said they would be built together with UK companies and labour. The Conservatives welcomed the renewal of Britain's nuclear options, but David Cameron's "green" adviser Zac Goldsmith attacked the plans. Greenpeace is expected to again try and challenge the Government. The pressure group last year successfully fought to get the original consultation process thrown out by the courts. John Sauven, its executive director, said: "This is bad news for Britain's energy security and bad news for our efforts to beat climate change. Nuclear power can only deliver a 4 per cent cut in emissions some time after 2025, and that's too little too late at too high a price. "Going for nuclear power allows politicians like Gordon Brown to project the impression that they're taking difficult decisions to solve difficult problems, but in reality it's nothing of the sort." A new independent body is to be set up to monitor decommissioning costs. Lib Dem and Labour left wingers will oppose the plans when they are debated in the Commons, but the Cabinet unanimously backed nuclear at a meeting on Tuesday. Business welcomed the plans. Richard Lambert, CBI director general, said: "After much consultation, the Government has reached the right conclusion about nuclear's role in meeting the twin challenges of climate change and energy security." Earth News * Earth » In Earth News Listed as a vulnerable species by scientists there are believed to be about 25,000 polar bears alive in the wild today. US nature photographer Steven Kazlowski travelled from his home in New York to the remote National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to take these incredible pictures. Curious polar bears Snow brings its usual struggles... but at least the forecast was right Bitterly cold weather sweeping Britain may last for weeks Rare dolphin stampede caught on camera Dolphin stampede caught on camera Power towers: a wind farm at the village of Bothel in Cumbria How Britain went tilting at windmills This red squirrel is clearly ready for its close-up as it sits on a camera lens. Wildlife snappers Giedrius Stakauskas and Dalia Kvedaraite captured the scene in freezing conditions in the Yorkshire Dales. Giedrius, from Lithuania, said: Animal photos of the week Advertisement telegraphuk Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus Advertisement Advertisement Earth Most Viewed * TODAY * PAST WEEK * PAST MONTH 1. Extinction of millions of species 'greatly exaggerated' 2. David Attenborough - Humans are plague on Earth 3. Dolphins 'resort to rape' 4. Giant spider eating a bird caught on camera 5. 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Get the best exchange rates and 100% secure delivery View Telegraph Cottages Book your perfect cottage getaway View Back to top * HOME * News * World News * Obituaries * Travel * Health * Jobs * Sport * Football * Cricket * Fantasy Football * Culture * Motoring * Dating * Finance * Personal Finance * Economics * Markets * Fashion * Property * Crossword * Comment * Blogs * My Telegraph * Letters * Technology * Gardening * Telegraph Journalists * Contact Us * Privacy and Cookies * Advertising * Fantasy Football * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2013 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast URENCO logo Sign up to our Alert Service Search______________ submit search twitter facebook blackberry enriching the future * Home * About URENCO + Company structure + Virtual tour (English) + Business activity + Vision, mission and Values + URENCO Television + History + Publications + Contact us * Investors + Financial results + Investment funding + Corporate Governance + Group Reports + Results and presentations + Credit Ratings + Alert service * News + Group Press Releases + Site Press Releases + URENCO Head Office relocation + Press Release archive + Industry news + Useful links * Environment & Community + Environmental Statement UD Gronau 2011 + Corporate responsibility + Community Involvement + Health, safety and environment + Sustainability Report 2011 + Environmental Statement UD Gronau 2010 + Information der Öffentlichkeit nach Strahlenschutzverordnung und Störfallverordnung (UD) * Careers + Job Search + Graduates + Apprenticeships + URENCO Nederland * Contact Us [URENCO Locations____________________________] * You are in > * Home > * News > * Industry news > * 2007 Industry news > * Nuclear Energy in the UK * News * Group Press Releases * Site Press Releases * URENCO Head Office relocation * Press Release archive * Industry news + 2012 Industry news + 2011 Industry news + 2010 industry news + 2009 Industry news + 2008 Industry news * Useful links Nuclear Energy in the UK November 2007 Below are comments from policitans, industry leaders and environmentalists on the nuclear debate in the UK. "Nuclear is clean, secure and affordable; its expansion is crucial for Britain’s long term energy security, as we reduce our oil dependence and move towards a low carbon future.” Gordon Brown, Prime Minister, The Times 24 September 2008 "It is not clear how we can meet both our energy needs and our climate change obligations without a continuing role for nuclear power." CBI Director-General Richard Lambert, 15 February 2007 “In the context of climate change, environmentalists will have to question some of their traditional positions, whether this is on nuclear power or the impact of expanding wind power on the countryside.” - David Milliband, FTSE4Good 5th anniversary event, 7 February 2007 "But what is important, I think for reasons of energy security as much as climate change, is that we have a balanced energy policy for the future and I think that has got to include the nuclear power option as well." - Tony Blair, Prime Minister, 27 November 2006 "...in common with countries around the world, we need to put nuclear power back on the agenda and at least replace the nuclear energy that we will lose. Without it, we will not be able to meet either our objectives on climate change or our objectives on energy security." - Tony Blair, 15 November 2006 "We have only opened back up the nuclear power debate just in time. There is no way, frankly, that we can guarantee energy security or cleaner power without it." - Rt HonTony Blair, Prime Minister, Oxford, 3 November 2006 "Ten years ago I parked the issue of nuclear power. Today, I believe without it, we are going to face an energy crisis and we can't let that happen". - Rt Hon Tony Blair, Prime Minister, Labour Party conference, September 2006 "The Government has concluded that new nuclear power stations could make a significant contribution to meeting our energy policy goals. It will be for the private sector to initiate, fund, construct and operate new nuclear plants and cover the cost of decommissioning and their full-share of long-term waste management costs." - Rt Hon Alistair Darling MP, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, 11 July 2006 "Nuclear in my view is one of the wedges that we need to bring our dependence on fossil fuels down. But it's quite a big wedge in the sense that at the moment it's 19% of our energy on the grid. It used to be 30% on the grid and one reason why we've seen a slight increase in carbon dioxide emissions in this country is because we've dropped in nuclear. - Sir David King, BBC Sunday, 26 May 2006 "The facts are stark. By 2025, if current policy is unchanged, there will be a dramatic gap on our targets to reduce CO2 emissions; we will become heavily dependent on gas; and at the same time move from being 80/90% self-reliant in gas to 80/90% dependent on foreign imports, mostly from the Middle East and Africa and Russia. These facts put the replacement of nuclear power stations, a big push on renewables and a step-change on energy efficiency, engaging both business and consumers, back on the agenda with a vengeance." - Rt Hon Tony Blair, Prime Minister, speaking at CBI Dinner, 16 May 2006 "I believe it is now the time to look again at nuclear energy. While I have high hopes for hopes for new zero-emissions technologies in the future, efficient nuclear-fission power stations are already available. (I am also hopeful that fusion power stations, without the problems of nuclear-waste disposal, will emerge over the coming three or four decades.)....it is my scientific, not political, opinion that nuclear energy should be part of a wide portfolio of approaches." - Sir David King, Guardian, 16 December 2005 Half-Year 2012 Unaudited Financial Results Strong performance across all operations - record sales of enrichment services Read more URENCO TV URENCO TV features videos and interviews about URENCO and the wider nuclear industry. Read more Virtual tour Virtual tour Welcome to the URENCO Xperience, a virtual tour of our enrichment facilities. Read more Rate this page Your Rating: Your Comments: ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ ____________________ Submit Share this story Share | Alert service | Glossary | Contact us | Site map | Terms and conditions URENCO Limited Registered Number: 1022786 Registered Office:URENCO Court, Sefton Park, Bells Hill, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, SL2 4JS, UK URENCO Limited is in no way associated, affiliated or connected with EURENCO. © 2001 — 2013 URENCO — All rights reserved Skip to main content Access keys help BBC logo * Home * News * Sport * Radio * TV * Weather * Languages __________ go [an error occurred while processing this directive] Low graphics|Accessibility help BBC News watch One-Minute World News mobiles News services Your news when you want it News Front Page [USEMAP:v3_map_world_rb.gif] Africa Americas Asia-Pacific Europe Middle East South Asia UK England Northern Ireland Scotland Wales UK Politics Education Magazine Business Health Science & Environment Technology Entertainment Also in the news ----------------- Video and Audio ----------------- Programmes Have Your Say In Pictures Country Profiles Special Reports RELATED BBC SITES * SPORT * WEATHER * ON THIS DAY * EDITORS' BLOG [agencyrep_bbc_usa_uk_home] Last Updated: Tuesday, 29 November 2005, 12:27 GMT E-mail this to a friend Printable version Energy policy sparks opposition Analysis By Nick Assinder Political Correspondent, BBC News website Tony Blair already has a list of contentious policies on his pre-retirement agenda, yet he has now added one of the most controversial going - a possible revival of nuclear power. Dounreay power station Energy review will look at new nuclear stations As the Greenpeace demonstration so dramatically showed, if the prime minister opts to go down this route to bridging the energy gap, as many expect, he will have a serious fight on his hands. And it will not just be Greenpeace and other environmental groups who will lead the opposition to any proposal to start building new nuclear power stations. There are plenty of Labour backbenchers, led by former environment minister Michael Meacher, the Liberal Democrats and a significant number of ministers deeply opposed to any return to a nuclear energy programme. Indeed, the whole issue was once a core part of Labour policy. Current Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett is remembered as an old opponent although she insists she has an open mind on the issue, albeit with major reservations over cost and waste disposal. Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt and Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain are also believed to be opposed or at least have serious doubts. Only way On the prime minister's side, however, are Chancellor Gordon Brown - as long as he doesn't have to pay for any of it - Trade Secretary Alan Johnson and Defence Secretary John Reid. Tony Blair at a Commons Liaison committee Blair has prepared the ground for change But this is early days and, while it is believed the majority of the cabinet are prepared to back a return to nuclear, it would be rash to be too positive about how individual ministers might finally vote. Yet the prime minister is said to believe this is the only way to fill the looming energy gap and he has been preparing the ground for a debate on the issue for many months. The election manifesto included the pledge to review the role of nuclear, the prime minister highlighted it in his party conference speech in October and has returned to the subject on a number of occasions since, including at the Commons Liaison committee. Tuesday was supposed to be the day when he would formally unveil that review and kick off this most heated of debates. Well he got the second bit before he even managed to deliver his speech and as he said himself when he finally got to speak: "It is a difficult and challenging issue, but that is like most tough issues." It certainly is. And the demonstration is probably only the start. E-mail this to a friend Printable version THE NUCLEAR DEBATE KEY STORIES Nuclear power gets go-ahead UK nuclear: The contenders 'Deep disposal' for nuclear waste Time for action on nuclear waste Finland buries its nuclear past Rare glimpse into nuclear reactor Living near a nuclear station BACKGROUND Cartoon dial from energy calculator Power calculator How would you like the UK's electricity to be generated by 2020? Guide to nuclear energy EXPERTS' VIEWS Viewpoint: Finland's new reactor Viewpoint: German phase-out Email debate: Part one Email debate: Part two HAVE YOUR SAY Where to bury nuclear waste? Nuclear symbol Nuclear reaction Influence the debate. Advice and contacts to get you started. 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Comments Feed Green Welcome to the Business of Green Blog! Canada Mulls Sale of Reactor Maker Coming Soon: A New Eco-Label for TVs RSS 2.0 alternate [post&posall=TopAd,Bar1,Position1,Position1B,Top5,SponLink,MiddleRight, Box1,Box3,Box3A,Bottom3,Right5A,Right6A,Right7A,Right8A,Middle1C,Bottom 7,Bottom8,Bottom9,Header1,Header2,Header3,Inv1,Inv2,CcolumnSS,Middle4,L eft1B,Frame6A,Left2,Left3,Left4,Left5,Left6,Left7,Left8,Left9,JMNow1,JM Now2,JMNow3,JMNow4,JMNow5,JMNow6,Feature1,Spon3,ADX_CLIENTSIDE,SponLink 2&pos=Header1&query=qstring&keywords=?] [post&posall=TopAd,Bar1,Position1,Position1B,Top5,SponLink,MiddleRight, Box1,Box3,Box3A,Bottom3,Right5A,Right6A,Right7A,Right8A,Middle1C,Bottom 7,Bottom8,Bottom9,Header1,Header2,Header3,Inv1,Inv2,CcolumnSS,Middle4,L eft1B,Frame6A,Left2,Left3,Left4,Left5,Left6,Left7,Left8,Left9,JMNow1,JM Now2,JMNow3,JMNow4,JMNow5,JMNow6,Feature1,Spon3,ADX_CLIENTSIDE,SponLink 2&pos=Header2&query=qstring&keywords=?] [post&posall=TopAd,Bar1,Position1,Position1B,Top5,SponLink,MiddleRight, Box1,Box3,Box3A,Bottom3,Right5A,Right6A,Right7A,Right8A,Middle1C,Bottom 7,Bottom8,Bottom9,Header1,Header2,Header3,Inv1,Inv2,CcolumnSS,Middle4,L eft1B,Frame6A,Left2,Left3,Left4,Left5,Left6,Left7,Left8,Left9,JMNow1,JM Now2,JMNow3,JMNow4,JMNow5,JMNow6,Feature1,Spon3,ADX_CLIENTSIDE,SponLink 2&pos=Header3&query=qstring&keywords=?] [post&posall=TopAd,Bar1,Position1,Position1B,Top5,SponLink,MiddleRight, Box1,Box3,Box3A,Bottom3,Right5A,Right6A,Right7A,Right8A,Middle1C,Bottom 7,Bottom8,Bottom9,Header1,Header2,Header3,Inv1,Inv2,CcolumnSS,Middle4,L eft1B,Frame6A,Left2,Left3,Left4,Left5,Left6,Left7,Left8,Left9,JMNow1,JM Now2,JMNow3,JMNow4,JMNow5,JMNow6,Feature1,Spon3,ADX_CLIENTSIDE,SponLink 2&pos=Top5&query=qstring&keywords=?] * Home Page * Today's Paper * Video * Most Popular Edition: U.S. / Global [post&posall=TopAd,Bar1,Position1,Position1B,Top5,SponLink,MiddleRight, Box1,Box3,Box3A,Bottom3,Right5A,Right6A,Right7A,Right8A,Middle1C,Bottom 7,Bottom8,Bottom9,Header1,Header2,Header3,Inv1,Inv2,CcolumnSS,Middle4,L eft1B,Frame6A,Left2,Left3,Left4,Left5,Left6,Left7,Left8,Left9,JMNow1,JM Now2,JMNow3,JMNow4,JMNow5,JMNow6,Feature1,Spon3,ADX_CLIENTSIDE,SponLink 2&pos=Middle1C&query=qstring&keywords=?] Search All NYTimes.com ____________________ Search New York Times Environment * World * U.S. * N.Y. / Region * Business * Technology * Science + Environment + Space & Cosmos * Health * Sports * Opinion * Arts * Style * Travel * Jobs * Real Estate * Autos __________________________________________________________________ [post&posall=TopAd,Bar1,Position1,Position1B,Top5,SponLink,MiddleRight, Box1,Box3,Box3A,Bottom3,Right5A,Right6A,Right7A,Right8A,Middle1C,Bottom 7,Bottom8,Bottom9,Header1,Header2,Header3,Inv1,Inv2,CcolumnSS,Middle4,L eft1B,Frame6A,Left2,Left3,Left4,Left5,Left6,Left7,Left8,Left9,JMNow1,JM Now2,JMNow3,JMNow4,JMNow5,JMNow6,Feature1,Spon3,ADX_CLIENTSIDE,SponLink 2&pos=TopAd&query=qstring&keywords=?] [post&posall=TopAd,Bar1,Position1,Position1B,Top5,SponLink,MiddleRight, Box1,Box3,Box3A,Bottom3,Right5A,Right6A,Right7A,Right8A,Middle1C,Bottom 7,Bottom8,Bottom9,Header1,Header2,Header3,Inv1,Inv2,CcolumnSS,Middle4,L eft1B,Frame6A,Left2,Left3,Left4,Left5,Left6,Left7,Left8,Left9,JMNow1,JM Now2,JMNow3,JMNow4,JMNow5,JMNow6,Feature1,Spon3,ADX_CLIENTSIDE,SponLink 2&pos=PushDown&query=qstring&keywords=?] Green - Energy, the Environment and the Bottom Line __________________________________________________________________ May 29, 2009, 8:08 am Is the Nuclear Renaissance Fizzling? By JAMES KANTER Finland Henna Aaltonen for The I.H.T. Inside a water storage tank at the nuclear plant in Olkiluoto, Finland. Snags in the country’s nuclear project may hold lessons for other countries. Nuclear power may be making a comeback, but long-standing problems with the technology still could lead to canceled orders and renewed public opposition. One problem is what to do with the highly dangerous waste produced by reactors. Currently waste is stored above ground in pools of water or in vast dry casks, but neither of those methods is regarded as adequate over the long term. Finland may be the first country to use a different method: burying the waste deep underground in clay and stable rock. You can see some images from the proposed Finnish site, Onkalo, in a slide show that I have narrated as part of a broader look at the challenges facing the industry in Friday’s New York Times. Another recurring problem is the high up-front price tag of nuclear technology compared with other sources of energy. Utilities were already canceling nuclear power plants before the accidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl. The reason? Huge cost overruns. Governments are now putting low-carbon technologies like nuclear power back on the agenda. But nuclear’s difficult history with financing could be repeating itself, as the first two reactors that were meant to lead a comeback have been delayed and are running over-budget. And even if stars do align for nuclear, it still could take some time for it to play a significant role in lowering greenhouse gas levels, according to Paul L. Joskow, a professor or economics and management at M.I.T. and the president of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a philanthropic organization supporting science and technology. In 2003, Mr. Joskow co-wrote an influential report on the future of nuclear power. “If nuclear is going to be a large wedge in the overall portfolio of technologies cutting greenhouse gases, then it’s going to be a post-2025 wedge,” Mr. Joskow said in a telephone interview last week. “In the near term, we are going to be using more energy efficiency measures, renewable sources and even cleaner burning natural gas to meet our climate goals,” he said. Emissions Reduction, Nuclear Energy, Chernobyl, energy costs, nuclear plants, nuclear power, nuclear reactors, nuclear renaissance, Olkiluoto, Onkalo, Paul L. Joskow, repository, Three Mile Island, waste Related Posts From Green * U.S. Dropped Nuclear Rule Meant to Avert Hydrogen Explosions * Chernobyl’s Lessons Aid Russia’s Nuclear Marketing * House Panel Questions Nuclear Regulatory and Energy Chiefs * Reactor Containment Design Has Long Been Questioned * Disputed Reactor Design Moves Forward From Around the Web * Green Sheet Another Chink In The Nuclear Renaissance Dream * Greenpeace weblog Nuclear Reaction - A Greenpeace blog about nuclear power: No to Nuclear Power 101: reliable * Los Angeles Times Program to refurbish aging nuclear warheads faces setbacks * Huffington Post Warner Saunders, Renaissance Man What's This? Powered by Blogrunner __________________________________________________________________ * Previous Post Canada Mulls Sale of Reactor Maker * Next Post Coming Soon: A New Eco-Label for TVs From 1 to 25 of 28 Comments 1 2 Next » 1. 1. May 29, 2009 1:40 pm Link Mr. Kanter’s approach to his article and his representation of the facts surrounding the Finnish reactor project displays a notable bias against the nuclear power option when all the facts, and alternatives, are considered. Sure, the Finnish reactor is over budget, as are most projects sold to and bought by government entities, especially the first-of-its-kind in country using a myriad of politically selected subcontractors. Even at that, the Finns rightly consider nuclear power as a viable, and even critical, part of their power generation repertoire. They cannot rely on solar and wind alone (at any price… have you been there in winter?), petrochemicals are limited, expensive and subject to political whims, and they don’t have much access to coal sources, which they’d prefer not to burn anyway. Nuclear is ideal for them. Sure, as with EVERY option, there are costs and issues, but modern reactors are clean and very very safe. Even with a full melt-down of Three Mile Island, the worst Western failure scenario imaginable, people weren’t endangered and the surrounding ecology wasn’t affected, any more than would be the soil around a wind turbine if it falls over and leaks out some hydraulic fluid. The only other options they have for bulk power generation (or WE have for that matter) are based on fossil fuels. Ease up on what is a smart choice, James. We’re all going to be leaning on it (or a pile of coal ash) for many years to come. If your goal is to point out how poorly governments are at managing costs, then I stand down. Hack away. — Derek from Austin, TX 2. 2. May 29, 2009 2:26 pm Link Derek from Austin, TX, It is hardly being biased to try to present a factual assessment of the costs and challenges nuclear faces – it’s a welcome departure from the truly biased information that is fed to us constantly by the nuclear industry. Nuclear should be a part of the low-carbon mix, and it may turn out to be a smart choice, but for heaven’s sake let’s make these choices based on real information, not rosy forecasts. And as for the usual dose of government-bashing, I’ll just point out that nearly every nuclear plant built in the United States, 100% of which were late and over budget, pretty close to that number WAY late and WAY over budget, were built by private-sector utilities, while the French nuclear program, which nuclear cheerleaders love to cite as the poster child for why we should increase our reliance on nuclear, is a government owned utility. So basically, you’re wrong. The mistaken idea that government is always “the problem” is getting very old and very destructive. — Michael Hogan 3. 3. May 29, 2009 2:56 pm Link I’m a solar guy, so of course I’m going to be biased against nuclear, but even so, here are two things that science and politics have yet to solve about nuclear: 1) Not in my back yard syndrome. No matter how safe the containment of nuclear waste material, you’ve got to store it somewhere and nobody wants to store it anywhere near them. This includes our oceans. Transport it outside of the reactor grounds, and everyone stops to think about what if it spills from here to there, wherever “there’ may be. Even if it’s a tiny chance…people don’t want to take that chance. 2) Related to the above: radioactive waste! Lasting for thousands of years! Hello? On the other hand, solar panel manufacturers are already providing for ways to recycles panels after their modest 25-30 year expected life time. http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/panel_disposal.html We won’t know if this program will work yet because most panels are still producing clean solar energy right now. :) But suffice to say that solar panel owners will want to see them recycled correctly, especially since it’s free and paid for by the panel manufacturer. Solar Fred http://www.solarfred.com — Solar Fred 4. 4. May 29, 2009 3:51 pm Link The Georgia legislature is all about being pro-business at the expense of Georgians and they rammed through Georgia Power’s request for rate increases to fund future plants. Georgians will be forced to pay for the overruns also. It does not matter how “clean” nuclear energy is for the present. There is nothing to do with the massive toxic waste generated and there may never be a realistic solution. A large increase in nuclear plants would make other means of poisoning the planet insignificant by comparison. Solar energy technology could be widespread and cheap and windmills should be everywhere they can be supported. Conservation is a necessity. — Peggy Davis, Atlanta 5. 5. May 29, 2009 3:52 pm Link #3 Solar Fred, The rest of the world uses the purex process to extract useful fissionable material from spent LWR rods. The Japanese and Indians are further processing that fuel to extract valuable metals like palladium and rhodium from the spent fuel rods. After processing only a little bit is left over and considered garbage. That little bit is no longer radioactive for thousands of years, or so hot it needs special containment systems. In rough terms, the spent fuel rods that are no longer waiting to be wasted under Yucca mountain contain about $500,000,000 worth of palladium. Yes, half a billion dollars worth. The rhodium in them is worth even more – I read recently that at last summer’s prices those fuel rods contained about $35 billion of rhodium. I’ve never understood the U.S. government’s refusal to reprocess spent fuel rods on the theory it might somehow promote nuclear weapon proliferation in other countries if we did it. Iran’s nuclear weapons program seems to be chugging along just fine, no matter how much we hobble our economy by rejecting nuclear power. — Duncan 6. 6. May 29, 2009 4:12 pm Link The waste problem of nuclear power is not a waste problem at all. The actual waste (fission products) rapidly decay away in less than 500 years. Everything else (96%) of the spent nuclear fuel can be returned to reactors for use. I like contrasting the chemical waste that is generated from photovoltaic cell manufacturing, which contains heavy metals and stable chemical compounds that are much worse than anything that comes out of a reactor. Those manufacturing bi-products last forever, tend to be soluble in water, and are carcinogenic. If I used nuclear fission to power all of the energy that I would consume in my lifetime from transportation, electricity, manufacturing process heat, etc. I would use 4 tablespoons of uranium metal weighing 1 kilogram. I suggest that you fill a glass with 4 tablespoons of water and look at it and ask yourself if you can responsibly manage that amount of waste for the next 500 years, because that is the legacy that you will leave your children. No drums of toxic waste here. Just 4 tablespoons of waste that go away in 500 years. In a year (2006) our nation if we used nuclear power for everything would generate a 20 ft cube of waste. That is less than the amount of fly ash from one coal plant in the same year. The power of the atom is truly inspiring over a million times more energy released per event. To me the choice is simple. Produce electricity that costs as much as coal, does not impact our standard of living, and with waste that goes away in 500 years. Or cover our country with solar panels and wind farms disrupting what little undisturbed land we have left leaving waste that will never go away, and disrupt the GDP of the nation due to out of sight energy prices. (I lump wind into this because wind cannot generate sufficient process heat for manufacturing in order to be completely carbon free, whereas nuclear can.) I am not saying that wind and solar do not have their applications, nor that they will not be a part of our energy mix, because they do have applications that fit their limitations especially when used for electrical production that is removed from the power grid. Bottom line is cost: Unsubsidized wind costs $90/MW-hr (2007 DOE numbers). Unsubsidized new nuclear costs 70/MW-hr (CBO numbers). Coal costs $55/MW-hr without paying a carbon tax and $80/MW-hr with a carbon tax (CBO numbers based on capping emissions at 2008 levels). The cost of solar is around $120 to $140 /MW-hr (2007 DOE numbers). — Cal Abel 7. 7. May 29, 2009 4:20 pm Link From our perspective, we believe that this article presents an unbalanced report of the progress of the AREVA EPR™ reactor under construction at Olkiluoto, Finland and the worldwide revival of nuclear energy. From our perspective, the nuclear renaissance is going just fine thank you. Despite a global recession, AREVA increased sales in 2008 by more than 10 percent and grew its order backlog by more than 20 percent. We continue to negotiate new deals for EPR reactors and other AREVA products and services with customers around the globe. Click here to read more: http://us.arevablog.com/2009/05/29/nuclear-renaissance-is-just-fine -thank-you/ -Jarret Adams AREVA Inc. — Jarret Adams 8. 8. May 29, 2009 4:57 pm Link Thank you all for correcting my thousand year assumptions and the fuel rod recycling program. Nevertheless, over 500 years, those tablespoons would add up. And so much can happen within 500 years, where ever it’s stored. I’m not saying shut down the reactors we have now, but I do feel we should focus research and resources on something that has much less risk of not only storage, but also the byproducts and unintended consequences of accidents and as a target for terrorism. — Solar Fred 9. 9. May 29, 2009 5:12 pm Link #1 Derek from Austin, I too felt Mr. Kanter’s reporting showed some bias against nuclear… until I read some reports about this article around the web. At least this article isn’t outright rooting for catastrophic failure. The point where I think this article is slanted is in treating development/deployment of a new prototype as if these problems are indicative of future problems. Areva achieved great success by designing one reactor and replicating that design over and over for 20 years. After they worked out the construction kinks on the first couple reactors, they realized big cost savings with this standardized design. The Finnish reactor isn’t just one more of that old design. It’s the first installation of their new EPR – the design they intend to standardize on for the next 20 years. Of course there are going to be construction mistakes, delays, and overruns. — Duncan 10. 10. May 29, 2009 7:19 pm Link Nuclear power is a bad joke, viable only because of frenzied lobbying by Westinghouse, GE, and the banks that fund them. Banks in particular love the $6 billion construction price tags, since they can tack on all kinds of fees and profits at government expense. The whole industry would not even exist without Federal loan guarantees and meltdown insurance. Even with these subsidies, new nuclear is $6600/mgw, 20% more than solar thermal. Unlike solar, it requires expensive and radioactive fuel. That’s why ethree and Lazard studies find nuclear to cost a lot more than solar, in spite of numerical mumbo jumbo from its touts and some posters above. At least coal, with all its horrible side effects, is fairly cheap. Nuclear is the worst of both worlds, and is not even a renewable, clean, or economically competitive resource. — mike roddy 11. 11. May 29, 2009 9:08 pm Link I love the way anti-nuclear folks always search the world to find an instance of problems in some nuclear project. I might add that I hope the NY Times is not dumb enough to claim that nuclear plants are some sort of Dutchman’s mine, haunted places that cannot be built on time and within budget. The Japanese and Chinese have no problems building plants on time and under budget. The major reasons for cost overruns in the past were so transparent that even Obama could comprehend : regulatory practices seemingly designed by coal power plant builders, designing a new reactor and then building but one instance, and anti-nukes hiring hordes of lawyers to fight the builders. Perhaps the Times might actually look in places other than Finland. They would find the Chinese building plants at less than half the cost of ours and the Japanese as well. As for those supposedly exorbitant costs, that’s in comparison to cheap fossil fuel power plants. ANYTHING that produces carbon-free power costs way, way more than the $5 biilion per gigawatt pricetag for nuclear plants. Solar thermal from Brightsource, when the fact that it would take 4 such $3 billion solar plants to equal the output of one nuclear plant, and would have to be rebuilt twice in order to last as long as that same nuclear plant, comes in at build costs 5 times greater, which is roughly the difference in power generation costs quoted by the ever-unreliable Mr Woolard. Doesn’t the Times have anyone on its staff who can perform simple cost analysis? In the end, the issue ISN’T cost overruns, etc. The issue is HOW MUCH IS THE POWER GOING TO COST, overrun or no overrun. Got that? The Times apparently cannot calculate anything other than nuclear plant build costs. And they lie when doing that, from what I’ve seen. And I’m getting tired of that same old song and dance about nuclear wastes. No one alive is frightened by nuclear wastes. We’ve lived with them for 60 years and can easily live with them for another thousand years. Nuclear waste concerns are but red herrings from closet anti-nukes. You know, the folks who killed nuclear power 40 years ago and created global warming. — kerry bradshaw 12. 12. May 30, 2009 2:08 am Link Nuclear power, be it fission or fusion, keeps pushing buried energy into the biosphere so warming will worsen. Our biosphere is basically a closed system in which the law of conservation of energy applies. We use to have sun energy coming in with some blackbody radiation sending some energy back to space with the kinetic energy balanced so that temperatures remained “normal”. Then we started mining and burning trapped fossil fuels, which of course released heat energy and carbon dioxide with that gas and other GHGs stalling some of the blackbody radiation to worsen the global warming effect. Now with nuclear power we release more trapped energy into the biosphere, and the temperatures will be going up. Even if the GHGs emissions could be stopped, that energy overload will still be still bouncing around to warm for decades with the carbon dioxide overload stalling blackbody radiation. We need to be getting energy via solar panels that will stop some sun energy from warming the ground and may deflect some sun energy back to space creating a bit of cooling effect. We should greatly expand windmill generation of electricity as that is recycling some of the energy overload in the biosphere. We need to develop the best of seven recently reported catalyst for splitting water to hydrogen using sunlight. That gas can also be gotten also by electrolysis of water if windmills or solar panels get an excess of electricity generated with the gas used as fuel for vehicles or power plants. Another source of fuel recycling may be developed from the massive never-ending messes of organic wastes and sewage solids. I have outlined this in comments 15 & 20 on this blog April 16, on the topic of Biosolids and comment 2 May 22 on the climate bill topic The pyrolysis process outlined has a big bonus as it destroys all germs, toxics and drugs in the messes to reduce many fold water pollution problems and to reduce greatly costs for maintaining new dumps not having those hazards in them. By making charcaol to bury we would be removing energy and carbon dioxide from the overload if we can do it with solar energy, wind energy and utilizing the energy and carbon trapped in those messes. Dr. J. Singmaster — Dr. James Singmaster 13. 13. May 30, 2009 3:47 am Link One important footnote is necessary to Cal Abel’s posting – his comments about how much radioactive “waste” is produced are based on the very important assumption that we re-process the spent fuel. The cost of doing so is not factored into the price he quotes for nuclear-generated electricity. And that price is very high – if it were affordable relative to the alternatives, we’d be doing it already. France does it, but with very heavy government subsidies, which drive the all-in cost of French nuclear electricity to a much higher level than $70/MW-hr. So Solar Fred, for the moment you are much closer to being correct. If we want to move to the sunlit uplands of Cal Abel’s nuclear-powered future, you’ll have to revisit the relative costs he presented, at which point it may not look quite as attractive relative to other options for baseload power, like concentrating solar and enhanced geothermal systems, with the price improvements that can be gained with experience in the 12-15 years it will take to build the next half-dozen reactors (without fuel re-processing, it must be pointed out). Just trying to make sure we’re all looking at a consistent set of assumptions when we have these discussions. — Michael Hogan 14. 14. May 30, 2009 4:46 am Link Further to my prior post, and again just in the interest of making sure we all know what’s behind the numbers we’re talking about: the CBO estimates Cal Abel cites for nuclear are from a May 2008 report. A cursory review of that report reveals some very pertinent assumptions relevant to this discussion. It assumed, among other things, that new nuclear would have an overnight cost of a bit less than $2400/kW, construction costs financed with 80% debt and 20% equity, debt cost of 8% and an average lifetime capacity factor of 90%. Every one of these assumptions is, at best, at the extreme end of the range of possible outcomes. Reactor vendors and the utilities they sell to are today pretty consistent in their assessment of the actual overnight cost of a new nuclear plant, and even they say it’s at least $5000/kW. Commercial financing for new power plants hasn’t been available at 80% of construction costs for many years, since long before the current financial crisis, and 8% commercial debt for 80% of the cost of a new nuclear construction project is incredibly aggressive. Finally, average lifetime capacity factors of nuclear plants has historically been closer to 85%, though the best of them can average 90% over the course of a few years. Taking a more realistic approach to those assumptions drives the levelized cost considerably higher than $70/MWh. To be fair, CBO states that the capital costs assume “market and technology changes” between now and about 2020, ie they assume that costs will drop as the industry gains experience. That might happen, but the industry is over 50 years old, and that makes it a pretty courageous assumption. As for solar (by which Cal Abel is presumably referring to a 2007 DoE study on comparative generating costs that included concentrating solar thermal): if I’m looking at the right report, it actually shows solar thermal at between $118 and $161/MWh in 2030, but it is important to note that those are numbers for a CSP plant in the Pacific Northwest. It is not at all clear why they made that assumption (perhaps because they were using numbers generated by the PNNL), but the Pacific Northwest is probably the worst place you could imagine to site a CSP plant. CSP plants sited in the Desert Southwest are today under long-term contract to deliver electricity to California and Arizona utilities at prices near the bottom end of that range. Since the CSP industry is, for all practical intents, in its infancy, the possible gains in performance by 2030 are difficult to predict, but many mainstream actors (McKinsey, to cite one example) think that CSP at good sites could certainly be below $100/MWh by 2020, not 2030. The cost of new HVDC VSC transmission to transport that energy large distances to demand centers would have to be factored in, of course, but estimates by German and Swedish government agencies, based on actual experience with HVDC links in Europe and elsewhere, find that the added cost would be no more than $20/MWh for distant markets, and much less than that for less distant markets. So if you put Cal Abel’s sources in a slightly (and I would argue more balanced) light, and you then add the cost of fuel reprocessing to the LCOE for nuclear to make it consistent with Cal Abel’s assertions about the scope of the waste problem, you come up with dramatically different results. — Michael Hogan 15. 15. May 30, 2009 8:41 am Link A rather complete rebuttal of some of the biases and a couple of mis-sdtatements of fact are to be found at the nuclear energy blog ‘Idaho Samizdat’ The most significant issues is that the NYT article takes two data points and applies assumptions drawn from them to the global nuclear industry. This would be roughly the same as taking the total consumption of orange juice in Brooklyn and applying it to a projection of what’s on everyone’s breakfast table for the U.S, England, and France. I can see the headline now – Obama warned not to bail out Florida due to sharp drop in sales of concentrated juice in Brooklyn grocery stores. More details with nuclear specific examples at URL http://djysrv.blogspot.com/2009/05/ny-times-claims-renaissance-is-o ver.html — djysrv 16. 16. May 30, 2009 1:28 pm Link Nuclear is cheap, safe, and clean– using tried and true light water reactors. The main problem is that light water reactors use >1% of the potential energy of the uranium. There is only enough uranium 235 to power the world using light water reactors for 5 to 10 years, or about 100 years for the 439 nuclear plants around the world today. The only way to have a nuclear renaissance is using fast-breeder reactors to produce plutonium, which, with proper breeding, use all the energy in the uranium. But this is weapons-grade stuff, so there are some proliferations concerns. The French tried this with their Super Phoenix, but it was shut down for being prohibitively expensive. But nuclear power may nevertheless be all that stands between what we identify as civilization and its alternatives. — James 17. 17. May 30, 2009 1:39 pm Link James raises some interesting questions, but scientists have fortunately solved them. We’d be building Integral Fast Reactors now if it weren’t for the fact that the Clinton administration cancelled the IFR project three years before completion. These reactors are super cheap to manufacture (no pressure vessel) and produce only low-grade plutonium, which is integrally reprocessed inside the reactor. Unlimited clean energy. http://skirsch.com/politics/globalwarming/ifr.htm — Zack 18. 18. May 30, 2009 2:51 pm Link Here’s an article by Energy Tribune that proves why we’re going to go nuclear this century. There simply is no alternative. http://www.energytribune.com/articles.cfm?aid=340&idli=3 — Zack 19. 19. May 31, 2009 5:13 pm Link If we want we can. Why always hoosing the shortest way ? Lazy we are. We can acheive much more than any nuclear reactor will provide us, by saving and changing our way of life. It is a societal change. People are too confortable in their life to accept that and lobbies are everywhere. Ride a bike more often and you will see how the planet is worth some good will. Stop arguing and act. Move on forward. — jerome 20. 20. May 31, 2009 5:15 pm Link 58 nuclear nukes in France, what about a Chernobil in a so small country ? we will go living aboard somewhere else !!!! thanks the risk is not worth the reward for sure. — jerome 21. 21. May 31, 2009 6:38 pm Link “Just fine”? The AREVA statements above are surprising. 1. “Unbalanced report” on the EPR project in Finland? (James Kanter, “In Finland, Nuclear Renaissance Runs Into Trouble”, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/29/business/energy-environment/29nuk e.html?_r=2) May be. One could have added indeed: - The cost overrun officially admitted standing at over 50% of the fixed price budget does not include the €2.4 billion ($3.4 billion) damage compensation claim the client TVO has filed with an international arbitration court. The fact that AREVA in return claims €1 billion ($1.4 billion) is hardly more than a desperate move advised by their international lawyers in order to limit damage. AREVA signed a fixed price contract and knows they will have to pay in the end. - AREVA is a company majority owned by the French state. If AREVA carries out a contract at a loss covered by the French state this could be against European Union competition rules. Nobody knows yet how much this will cost yet… - The Finnish EPR was scheduled to generate power now, not in three years or later, and it was part of the Finnish strategy to achieve its Kyoto Protocol engagements. The official cost overrun does not include costs that have to be covered by Finland in order to substitute for “clean power” or compensate for emissions (CDM). 2. The “nuclear renaissance is going just fine”? Where is that? - Plans are always interesting but what about reality? In 2008, the first time in civil nuclear history, no new nuclear reactor was connected to the grid, while three units were shut down. The installed nuclear capacity declined by about 1,600 MW, the size of the EPR in Finland that has been in the pipeline for 10 years ever since the Environmental Impact Assessment was submitted. In the EU, in 2008 for the first time more wind power capacity started up than even natural gas plants. Nuclear power with 145 reactors in operation, has been in decline since the historical maximum of 177 units was attained 20 years ago. - The IAEA lists 45 units as “under construction”, but eleven of them have been listed there for over 20 years. Indeed, the figure is better than the 26 units listed five years ago, the lowest level since the beginning of the nuclear age in the 1950s. However, the peak was reached 30 years ago with 233 units under construction simultaneously. - It is not enough to start up building sites, it is crucial to finish them. Over 250 nuclear orders have been cancelled over the years, more than half of them in the US. - The CEO of the most powerful US nuclear utility Exelon just announced that he would “cancel or delay” his new build plan for Victoria, Texas, because it was not preselected by DOE for loan guarantees. John Rowe had warned before: “we can’t do it without the federal subsidy”. 3. AREVA is doing great? - The company lost 62% of its share value between June 2008 and end of March 2009, significantly more than the CAC40 (the French Dow Jones) and has a hard time to recover since. - In January 2009 AREVA NP lost its partner company Siemens. The German electronics giant was simply sick of paying for the Finnish EPR technical, economic and PR disaster. Having no say in company strategy in spite of its 34% share holding and being kept out of key markets that have gone to competitor Alsthom, AREVA’s CEO “Atomic Anne” Lauvergeon was perceived by German executives as the “Queen you can’t argue with”. After years of background battles, Siemens simply dropped AREVA. Now the cash-stripped company has to find an additional €2 billion ($2.8 billion) to buy back the Siemens shares. - And the Flamanville-3 EPR is actually not doing much better. After one year construction it was already 20% beyond budget. Quality-control issues have plagued the site since day One. The latest episode: On 26 May 2009 the French Safety Authorities announced that it had refused two of three heavy forgings for a pressurizer fabricated by an AREVA subcontractor because it was below technical specifications. If this record is “just fine” one wonders when AREVA starts worrying. Mycle Schneider, International Consultant on Energy and Nuclear Policy, Paris Co-Editor of “International Perspectives on Energy Policy and the Role of Nuclear Power”, MultiScience Publishing, May 2009 Author of “Nuclear France Abroad – History, Status and Prospects of French Nuclear Activities in Foreign Countries “, commissioned by the Center for International Governance Innovation, Canada, May 2009 (http://www.npec-web.org/Frameset.asp?PageType=Single&PDFFile=Schne ider%20-%20NuclearFranceAbroad&PDFFolder=Reports) — Mycle Schneider 22. 22. June 1, 2009 12:08 am Link “Nevertheless, over 500 years, those tablespoons would add up. And so much can happen within 500 years, where ever it’s stored.” The problem is that nuclear competes with coal, and where its abandoned or prohibited, unless you have very significant hydroelectric resources, coal use rises precipitously. As for spent fuel, it can be well managed for centuries. A dry storage cask is nearly impervious to weathering and random mischief. And if society collapses or somesuch other doomsday scenario, we’ll have more existential concerns than the tribe over the hill getting sick from eating the glowing metal. — Dezakin 23. 23. June 1, 2009 9:11 am Link I’m not expert on utility size units but I do know the price of Nukes just priced here in Fla which comes to about $9k/kw. I do know the price of home wind, solar thermal engines Which is under $2k/kw for wind and under $3k/kw for STE. The STE can also have a back up burner from wood pellets or chips or any other fuel and supplies 4kw of heat for every 1kw of electric. River/tidal generators can be built for under $2k/kw and supply a big part of our electric needs. But apparently I’m the only one to make these work. I’ve built tidal, wind at very low costs and priced out STE for production and all very profitable. The most eff units is in the home sizes Of these only wind is intermittent and easy solutions are available for them. So let’s get off the utility size units and make the home size ones where payback is under 4 yrs and almost free after that. Plus as customer’s costs are double utility’s costs they stand to save, make much more. These also create many more jobs making, servicing them and can be brought online much faster so more than 4x’s the benefit of Nukes and 2x’s coal and 2x’s more for tidal/river generators. So let’s stop costly Nukes, coal and switch to home/business owner size units that are so much more profitable for customers and home/utility size tidal/river generators and NG cogen for peak power. Also eff, conservation costs are under $2k/kw giving much greater value from power not needed. I fear all the money is going to big utilities and not where it’s most practical, profitable, the end users. — jerryd 24. 24. June 1, 2009 1:12 pm Link Again nuclear energy releases trapped energy into the biosphere with resulting addition of more heat energy to worsen warming. Our biosphere is a close system so the law of conservation of energy says that added energy will stay here in the biosphere. Start asking Nobel winning physicists about that simple law and what it means concerning nuclear energy. Dr. J. Singmaster — Dr. James Singmaster 25. 25. June 1, 2009 2:49 pm Link nice debate! the one that floors me is about “four tablespoons” of nuclear waste. What a nutty premise for a “scientific” debate! How can ONE MAN’s energy usage be equated with an entire (ideal) nation’s usage — or global usage. Come on, guys, let’s get out the facts: 1. Amount of uranium that can be mined at a reasonable rate at USD100 per kg UO2? for a 20 percent global nuclear programme up and running smoothly in ten years? 2. Quantity of uranium tailings produce for 20 percent global nuclear? 3. Amount of enriched uranium required (U-235) 4. Costs of all this plus fuel fabrication in USD? 5. Amount of energy required to fire all of this up and where it is going to come from (read: coal and natrual gas)? 6. Quantities of Cesium-137 and Strontium-90 in Bequerels emitted annually in all routine operations worldwide? 7. Estimated resulting additional deaths from leukemia and other cancers among women, and children aged 0-14, lving within 50 km of nuclear pwer stations, realtive to pre-operational levels? 8. Quantity of low-level, intermediate, and high-level waste, especially Plutonium-239 before reprocessing? 9, Overall costs of decommissioning and long-term storage (>200 years) of high-level waste (intergenerational equity costs)? Please do the math and let me know what it’s going to cost me and the next ten generations worldwide. Four tablespoons of horse manure? — mike kantey 1 2 Next » Comments are no longer being accepted. 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Now2,JMNow3,JMNow4,JMNow5,JMNow6,Feature1,Spon3,ADX_CLIENTSIDE,SponLink 2&pos=Bottom8&query=qstring&keywords=?] Skip to Content TIME Magazine Sections → * NewsFeed * U.S. * Politics * World * Business * Tech * Health * Science * Entertainment * Style * Sports * Opinion * Photos * Magazine * Video * LIFE.com * Lists * TIME Home * Current Issue * Archive * Covers * 10 Questions * Subscribe * Magazine * Video * LIFE * Person of the Year Search Search TIME ____________________ Go * Follow + Facebook + Twitter + Google+ + Tumblr + RSS * Apps Nuclear's Comeback: Still No Energy Panacea By Michael Grunwald Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008 * Share + + Tweet + + Samuel Kubani / AFP / Getty Related * Is Nuclear Power Viable? * Mapping Renewable Energy, Rooftop by Rooftop * Email * Print * Share + Facebook + Twitter + Tumblr + LinkedIn + StumbleUpon + Reddit + Digg + Mixx + Del.i.cious + Google+ * Reprints Follow @TIME Nuclear power is on the verge of a remarkable comeback. It's been three decades since an American utility ordered a nuclear plant, but 35 new reactors are now in the planning stage. The byzantine regulatory process that helped paralyze the industry for a generation has been streamlined. There hasn't been a serious nuclear accident in the U.S. since the Three Mile Island meltdown in 1979. And no-nukes politics has become a distant memory. It was a sign of the times when John McCain ridiculed Barack Obama for opposing nuclear energy--and the allegation wasn't even true. "There's only a very small minority in Congress that still opposes nuclear power," says Alex Flint, the top lobbyist at the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). "That's quite a change." The most powerful change agents have been the surge in U.S. electricity demand--forecast to grow another 30% by 2030--and the threat of global warming. Atomic reactors produce no carbon emissions, so energy analysts, politicians and even some environmentalists have embraced them as a clean power source for a wired world, an alternative to fossil fuels that can generate electricity when the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing. The specter of a carbon-pricing scheme to address climate change has transformed nuclear economics. Originally touted as "too cheap to meter," nuclear energy turned out to be extremely expensive, but advocates say it will look much cheaper once coal and gas plants have to pay for their emissions. And unlike clean coal and other speculative technologies, nuclear energy already provides 20% of our power. "We're sitting on a ham sandwich, starving to death," says Georgia Republican Senator Johnny Isakson. But some little-noticed rain has fallen on the nuclear parade. It turns out that new plants would be not just extremely expensive but spectacularly expensive. The first detailed cost estimate, filed by Florida Power & Light (FPL) for a large plant off the Keys, came in at a shocking $12 billion to $18 billion. Progress Energy announced a $17 billion plan for a similar Florida plant, tripling its estimate in just a year. "Completely mind-boggling," says Charlie Beck, who represents ratepayers for Florida's Office of Public Counsel. "A real wake-up call," says Dale Klein, President Bush's chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). "I'll admit, the costs are daunting," says Richard Myers, NEI's vice president for policy development. The math gets ugly in a hurry. McCain called for 45 new plants by 2030; given the nuclear industry's history of 250% cost overruns, that could rise to well over $1 trillion. Ratepayers would take the main hit, but taxpayers could be on the hook for billions in loan guarantees, tax breaks, insurance benefits and direct subsidies--not to mention the problem of storing radioactive waste, if Congress can ever figure out where to put it. And those 45 new plants would barely replace the existing plants scheduled for decommissioning before 2030. 1. 2. Previous Page 3. 1 4. 2 5. 3 6. Next Page The Magazine Subscribe Current Time.com Cover * Kathryn Bigelow: The Art of Darkness * Harbaugh Brothers: Super Siblings * Zero Dark Thirty: Not Your Usual Hollywood Fare * Q&A with Kathryn Bigelow * Table of Contents * Subscribe Now * Online Issue Archive Most Read 1. Migraine Triggers May Not Be So Potent After All 2. After Successful Missile Launch, North Korea Threatens New Nuclear Test 3. Women In Combat: Shattering the "Brass Ceiling" 4. Photos: America's War on Drugs in 1969 5. The Strange World of Basque Sports 6. Goodbye Silicon, Hello DNA. 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Photograph: Herve Lenain/Corbis Britain and France are to sign a deal to construct a new generation of nuclear power stations and export the technology around the world in an effort to combat climate change. The pact is to be announced at the "Arsenal summit" next week when prime ministers Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy will meet at the Emirates stadium in north London. Britain hopes to take advantage of French expertise to build the power stations that do not rely on fossil fuels. Nearly 79% of France's electricity comes from its highly-developed nuclear power industry. The UK's ageing nuclear plants are ready for decommissioning and supply 20% of its energy needs. Brown hopes the partnership will create a skilled British labour force who would then work in partnership with France to sell nuclear power stations to other countries over the next 15 years. Britain this week started the process of licensing four generic reactor designs, including the French-designed Areva run by EDF (Électricté de France). The Anglo-French plan will be controversial among those who believe that nuclear power is too dangerous and dirty, and that governments should place more emphasis on renewable sources of power as part of an international effort to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2050. There is a growing view within the energy industry that nuclear power could be the next lucrative market. British Energy, the country's biggest reactor operator, has become the target of a potential £7bn takover bid as the UK tries to guarantee a secure future energy supply without relying on gas imports from Russia as North Sea oil and gas supplies dwindle. The nuclear deal is one of several Anglo-French initiatives the two are expected to announce when they meet on Thursday. They will also unveil a new drive against illegal immigration, with a range of measures to tighten border controls at the Channel ports and take joint action to remove failed asylum seekers. The immigration package will include: · Joint charter flights which would start in Britain, make a stop-over in France and take migrants back to countries including Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq. The French believe they can learn from the British on how to implement forced and voluntary removals, including of foreign prisoners · An increase in the number of lorry checks at French and British ports. Ministers believe more staff could double the number of lorries searched, from 1 million last year. It is claimed 18,000 illegal immigrants were stopped in trucks in 2007 · An increase in the number of French undercover officers targeting gangs smuggling people into Britain · Confirmation there would be no Sangatte II reception centre in Calais to attract asylum seekers and migrants. Sarkozy will use his two-day visit to Britain to push for a plan to sign a Europe-wide pact on immigration during France's presidency of the EU in the second half of the year. The pact would require European countries not to grant rights of residency to large numbers of illegal immigrants, and sign up to an EU policy of returning illegal immigrants either by offering incentives to leave voluntarily or by use of forced repatriation. The summit is also likely to see further steps on defence cooperation. Sarkozy is expected to tell Brown privately the details of a French deployment of special forces to the frontlines in Afghanistan, and in return seek British backing for an expanded European role in Nato. * Print this Print this * Share * Contact us Send to a friend Close this popup Sender's name ____________________ Recipient's email address ____________________ Send Your IP address will be logged Share Close this popup Short link for this page: http://gu.com/p/xaf3v * StumbleUpon * reddit * Tumblr * Digg * LinkedIn * Google Bookmarks * del.icio.us * livejournal * Facebook * Twitter Contact us Close this popup * Contact the Environment editor environment@guardian.co.uk * Report errors or inaccuracies: reader@guardian.co.uk * Letters for publication should be sent to: letters@guardian.co.uk * If you need help using the site: userhelp@guardian.co.uk * Call the main Guardian and Observer switchboard: +44 (0)20 3353 2000 * + Advertising guide + License/buy our content Article history About this article Close this popup Britain and France to take nuclear power to the world This article appeared on p1 of the Main section section of the Guardian on Saturday 22 March 2008. It was published on guardian.co.uk at 00.53 GMT on Saturday 22 March 2008. It was first published at 00.03 GMT on Saturday 22 March 2008. Environment * Nuclear power · * Energy · * Green politics World news * France · * Nicolas Sarkozy · * Europe Politics UK news * Share * Tweet this * * * Email We Own The Weekend * Get £2 off Guardian & Observer Celebrate the Guardian and Observer Weekend by signing up to receive £1 off the Saturday Guardian and £1 off the Observer for two weekends. 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All today's stories Politics news on Twitter Follow all the top political stories of the day on Twitter with the Guardian and Observer's politics team * nicholaswatt nicholaswatt: David Lidington: Tory manifesto will set out parameters of position for EU negotiations but will not show full hand #bbcsp about 2 hours, 29 minutes ago * nicholaswatt nicholaswatt: David Lidington tells @afneil: still the case people more interested in jobs and growth than EU referendum #bbcsp about 2 hours, 33 minutes ago * GdnPolitics GdnPolitics: Nick Clegg: EU referendum is against national interest http://t.co/ObIbLhdU about 3 hours, 18 minutes ago ⢠Follow our politics team on a Twitter list Find the cheapest gas & electricity deals Compare 1,000s of tariff deals from top suppliers Enter your postcode: ____________________ Select your usage: ( ) Low (*) Medium ( ) High Calculate Guardian Bookshop This week's bestsellers 1. How to Build a Habitable Planet 1. 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All rights reserved. * Share * Tweet this * * Quantcast #Printer-Friendly version Policy: Government section The Register: whole site The Register: Policy section The Register: Policy » Government subsection Site homepage search El Reg Search I'm fine with this [X] The Register uses cookies. Some may have been set already. Read about managing our cookies. Please click the button to accept our cookies. If you continue to use the site, we'll assume you're happy to accept the cookies anyway. Skip to content * Whitepapers * | Reg Hardware * | The Channel The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT * Data Centre * Cloud * Software * Hardware * Networks * Security * Jobs * Business * Policy * Science * Bootnotes * Forums ____________________ Search » Feeds * Government * Law Biting the hand that feeds IT UK.Gov green lights nuclear power * alert * print * IFRAME: http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http://reg.cx/18YY&la yout=button_count&show_faces=false&width=90&action=like&colorscheme =light&height=20 * IFRAME: https://platform.twitter.com/widgets/tweet_button.html?via=regvultu re&text=UK.Gov%20green%20lights%20nuclear%20power&count=horizontal& related=ChannelReg Tories give glowing reception; Lib Dems out in cold By Lewis Page • Get more from this author Posted in Government, 10th January 2008 13:18 GMT The Brown government has committed itself publicly to the continued use of nuclear power in Britain, shrugging off the orthodox green lobby's calls to eliminate the technology completely. In a long-awaited speech to Parliament this morning, business secretary John Hutton gave the go-ahead, saying the government hoped for the first new nuclear station to come on line "well before 2020", that the arguments in favour of nuclear were "compelling", and that there would be no cap on the number or capacity of nuclear plants that could be built. The government's view was that nuclear was the cheapest source of low-carbon electricity. Hutton also said very firmly that the decommissioning and waste costs arising from new nuclear build are to be borne by the operators, not the taxpayer. However, the government has agreed to run the national waste programme and to bear the costs of legacy waste created in the past. The formation of an independent scrutiny body was planned to ensure "transparency" in the financial arrangements. There was broad political support for Hutton's plans, with the Tories saying they are OK with nuclear provided it needs no subsidy. Shadow minister Alan Duncan said: "Our position is by and large similar to the government... the investment climate will remain stable under a future Conservative government." Duncan said, however, that the government still had questions to answer - for instance "what will happen if a nuclear power company goes bankrupt?" EDF Energy, which is a major non-nuclear electricity player in the UK and owns more than 50 nuke stations in France (where 80 per cent of electricity is nuclear generated), says it reckons the business case for new UK nuclear is sound, especially with the prospect of coal and gas being forced in future to pay carbon emissions levies. "We have the financial strength to sustain the large investments required and the long periods of time over which returns are achieved," EDF boss Vincent de Rivaz said. "This financial strength is based on real, long-lived assets, rather than on short term credit. We also have the financial strength to meet the long term liabilities of decommissioning and waste management." The Lib Dems remained violently opposed to a new nuke roll-out. "This is a flawed decision based on a sham consultation," said Steve Webb, the party's environment spokesman, echoing Greenpeace's view of the twice-repeated government discussion/polling exercises last year. "We should be concentrating our efforts on renewables and... carbon capture and storage as a safe, secure and flexible way of plugging the energy gap." Hutton did promise that the government would fund a large-scale trial of carbon capture, saying this would mean the UK was one of only three countries worldwide taking the idea seriously. Greenpeace, leading the opponents of nuclear power, predictably said the decision was wrong. "We can easily keep the lights on by investing in energy efficiency, renewable energy and decentralised energy as well as using fossil fuels more efficiently than we do now," the group said in its response to the government's plan. The Royal Academy of Engineering, the UK's technology centre of excellence, believes that nuclear is a good idea. It said last year that: Nuclear energy has an important role to play in electricity generation in the UK... what is needed for private investment in a new nuclear build programme is confidence that political support will continue throughout the lifetime of the nuclear plants... this requires backing from all the major political parties in the UK. Depending on the definition of a "major" political party, this either has or hasn't been achieved. The government publishes a white paper today, and will take its plans forward in an upcoming energy bill. ® * Send corrections * 65 comments Related stories * Interview Greenpeace co-founder talks biotech, nuclear and climate (8 February 2011) * Gov beta test for grid-friendly, carbon-saving smart fridges (2 December 2008) * Blighty's nuke-power push stalled as EDF buy falls through (1 August 2008) * Comment Trousers Brown Counterpoint: Is Gordon right? (13 July 2008) * Blighty admits 'national shortage' of nuke engineers (9 June 2008) * Analysis UK electricity crisis over - for now (29 May 2008) * Climate profs 'can't recommend' enormo-space-parasol (23 May 2008) * Weapons, oil prices driving worldwide atom ambitions (12 May 2008) * EDF circles British nuclear powerplant sites (9 May 2008) * Shell pulls out of Thames Estuary mega-windfarm (1 May 2008) * Minister: Waste wood is 'huge potential resource' (10 April 2008) * Hutton: UK must become world No 1 in nuclear power (27 March 2008) * Nintendo scores zero on e-waste responsibility (18 March 2008) * Budget 2008 Darling budget fails to paint Brown government green (12 March 2008) * DLD08 Giant solar plants in Negev could power Israel's future (25 January 2008) * MP calls for law to force online shops to verify customer age (25 January 2008) * EU president sets green plans in stone (23 January 2008) * UK nuke-power plans leak early (8 January 2008) * Academics kick off nuclear power war of words (7 January 2008) * Kent council approves 'cleaner' coal-fired plant (3 January 2008) * Brown pledges to be greener than greens (20 November 2007) * Pentagon in orbital solar power plan for world peace (16 October 2007) * Legal threat to 'Green nuke' consultation (20 September 2007) * Chernobyl to get new steel lid (17 September 2007) * Greens walk out of nuclear debate (7 September 2007) * Tidal power project fails to start on schedule (23 August 2007) * It's not easy being green (8 August 2007) Whitepapers A private Cloud-based approach Integrity Technology Systems, Inc.case study. Deliver the Cloud Network How orchestrating the network for cloud computing improves application deployment to meet users’ expected service levels. AccelOps’ Unified Infrastructure Management Examined This report provides a current view of AccelOps’ capabilities in industry context, including interview excerpts with three AccelOps customers. Network modernising trend watch: Spend less time managing complex infrastructure and more time connecting users to applications with ease. Operationalizing Information Security eBook provides guidance to operationalize security and put the top 10 best SIEM practices to work. Search more Resources mail icon Click here for your daily newsletter Spotlight British armed forces get first new pistol since World War II Finally catch up with US drug dealers of the 1990s Hm, nice idea that. But somebody's already doing it less well So you can push off and take your economic growth with you Feeling poor? WHO took all your money? NOT capitalist bastards? Comment Actually it was nurses and firemen and teachers Google unlikely to get kid-glove treatment THIS side of pond - Euro biz players All in Almunia's hands... now Strings of a guitar Musos blast US copyright bods: 'ARTISTS MAKE LOUSY SLAVES!' Michelle Shocked shocks - You don't want sausage grinder to do WHAT? 'Metadatagate' fails to bring down Oz pollie Sysadmins in the news after time stamps become key to political scandal Frack me! UK shale gas bonanza 'bigger than North Sea oil' Analysis Extraction to restart ... until the next tiny tremor Assange^TM spins Oz Senate candidacy again Nobody’s written about me for hours Parliament to unleash barrage of criticism on Snoopers' Charter Unseen spook Farr back again with plan to tap the UK net Is it all over for UK.gov's G-Cloud 3.0? A footnote in history awaits At least you tried Most read 1. NZ blogger names source for data leak tipoff 2. Watchdog: Gov bods should rummage through BINS for FOI data 3. Final decision by Home Sec on McKinnon extradition due today 4. Governments block YouTube over that video 5. Exclusive CPS grovels after leaking IDs of hundreds arrested during student riots More from the Register * Send us News Tips * Week’s Headlines * Reg Archive * Top 20 Stories * The Channel * Reg Hardware Facebook Youtube Twitter * Privacy * Advertise with Us * Company Info © Copyright 1998–2013 no-js Greenpeace UK Greenpeace UK Select a website: [Greenpeace UK___________] Visit Search this site: _______________ Search Log in|Register * Home * What we do + Stop climate change + Save the Arctic + Protect forests o Amazon o Congo o Indonesia + Defend oceans o Be a fisherman's friend o Marine reserves o Overfishing o Sustainable seafood o Tuna o Whaling o The Last Fishermen o Changing tuna - the progress so far + Eliminate toxics + Work for peace o Where we are now o Moving to a nuclear weapons-free world + Our global campaigns o End the nuclear age o Sustainable agriculture * What you can do + Campaign online + Get Active in your area + Fundraise for us + Keep up to date + Events + Jobs and Volunteering + Shop * Community + Group blogposts + Upcoming group events * Blog + Climate change + Save the Arctic + Forests + Oceans + Toxics + Peace + Energydesk + Successes + Volunteers + Videos + Reports + Slideshows * Donate + Other ways to give o Greenpeace Giving o Greenpeace credit card o Natural Collection catalogue o Leave a legacy The case against nuclear power Posted by bex - 8 January 2008 at 6:03pm - 62 Comments See all updates about nuclear power. __________________________________________________________________ With the government about to announce a new generation of nuclear power stations, we've published our case against nuclear power - and for the real solutions to climate change and energy security. You can download the full briefing as a pdf but here's a quick run-down of why nuclear new build can't keep the lights on and actually threatens our ability to reduce our carbon emissions: • Even if Britain built ten new reactors, nuclear power can only deliver a 4 per cent cut in carbon emissions some time after 2025. Even the Government admits this (Sustainable Development Commission figure). It's too little too late at too high a price. • Most of the gas we use is for heating and hot water and for industrial purposes. Nuclear power cannot replace that energy. And it's a similar case for oil as it's virtually all used for transport - nuclear power can't take its place. • Indeed, 86 per cent of our oil and gas consumption is for purposes other than producing electricity. So nuclear power, which can only generate electricity, is almost irrelevant. • The real solutions to the energy gap and climate change are available now. Energy efficiency, cleaner use of fossil fuels, renewables and state of the art decentralised power stations like they have in Scandinavia. Together they have the potential to deliver reliable low carbon energy quicker and cheaper. They are also safe and globally applicable, unlike nuclear. But these technologies will be strangled if cash and political energy get thrust at nuclear power. • Gordon Brown very recently committed the UK to generating around 40 per cent of our electricity from renewables by 2020. If he means it, Britain could become a world leader in clean energy and his case for nuclear evaporates. At the moment Germany has 300 times as much solar power and 10 times as much wind power installed as the UK and has given up on nuclear. • Margaret Thatcher promised 10 new reactors when she was in power. Just one was built. Going for nuclear allows politicians to project the impression that they are taking difficult decisions to solve difficult problems. In reality going for nuclear simply will not solve our energy problems. Other low carbon technologies will. Download the briefing here. Article tagged as: nuclear power, public consultations * share Comments Commenting is now closed Usual drivel from Greenpeace, this time about nuclear power. Personally, I don't want to pay the Russians billions for gas or oil, or be left at their behest. Wind and wave power is a joke in terms of efficiency and the damage the apparatus does to the environment; nuclear power is the only option, or I guess we could live in the dark. Greenpeace used to be useful organisation, now all it does is endlessly block progress. I guess that's what happens to all single issue pressure groups, eventually. By Haz - 10 January 2008 at 8:46am Why do the so called goverment always turn to nuclear power......they're fat and lazy and don't care about the people or the enviroment, just how much they can fill thier own pockets!!! Nuclear power is'nt progress it's an easy option for them. If people don't want to pay billions to other countries for energy resorces, cut down and do your bit to save energy, reduce emisions and find cleaner, save ways to harness energy. We're not put on this earth to drain it dry........mother earth has looked after and given to humanity for millions of years, about time we stop taking and start giving. By phoenix - 10 January 2008 at 9:54am I'm no expert, but the above arguments seemed completely flawed to me. I accept Nuclear power can cause devastation if things go wrong and we are storing up problems for the future on where to store the toxic waste. But as far as the more pressing issue goes regarding CO2 emmission Nuclear seems to make sense to me. The article states the most CO2 emmissions are cause by the burning of Gas and Oil used by transport and that Nuclear power can only generate electricity so this doesn't help. Surely thats because lorries, vans, cars, some trains all use fuel derived from oil. So for transport it makes sense to me we should be forcing the use of electric vehicles and using renewable/nuclear power to provide the electricity to power these vehicles. Then there is the problem of air travel/Ferries which I can see at the moment would be impossible to use electricity so these will have to rely on techology to reduce CO2 emissions. As far as heating is concerned if we converted to electric heating and all our electricity came from renewable/nuclear then CO2 emmissions are reduced. Also the reality is more and more electricity will be consumed as air conditioning, more homes, more commercial properties, street lighting, electrical gadgets and hopeful electrical transportation. Wind Farms have their own problems with wild life, what to do when there is no wind and the devestation they cause the natural beauty. We don't have enough sunlight to use solar power. Also there are technical limitations on how far electricity can travel so I understand you cannot suppy London with wind farms off the north coast of Scotland. I don't have the answers but slamming down every idea just because it has a flaw will just destroy the human race. You have to deal with the issues having most impact and disposal of nuclear fuel has less of an impact than CO2 emmissions. BTW its not about saving the planet, the earth will always survive given a few million years, its life as we know thats risking extinction. By geedoubleu - 10 January 2008 at 10:24am I have been a Greenpeace supporter and member for longer than I can remember. In practical terms, I cannot agree with Phoenix' views. The reality is that there is little alternative to nuclear power for the foreseeable future. All methods of power generation have their advantages and disadvantages. Returning to the Bronze Age as advocated by extremists is simply not an option. In truth, private power generating has to make a profit to invest in future technology and infrastructure. Remember that pension funds investing in companies do so that pensioners can get an income in old age. There are many other factors that make profitability important so it's not just about directors' salaries. There is no place for idealism in this debate, whether it is from Greenpeace, the Government, environmental extremists or the criminals that cuts down the forests (they are also contributing to climate change). Like I said, I have been a Greenpeace supporter for many years. Opposing nuclear power is not good. Successfully opposing nuclear generating industry could result in people having to cut down trees for fuel in winter or using expensive fossil fuels adding to climate change simply because there was not enough power to go around. Folks like phoenix, no matter how well intentioned, are taking too narrow a view. To conclude, I feel I must add some of my own credentials. I am a successful businessman in a low carbon industry. I do not own a car and travel mostly by public transport. My family vehicle is a one litre Nissan Micra. I do not fly when going on holiday. I recycle almost everything and have energy saving light bulbs and turn everything off standby when not in use. Oh, and I've turned down my home and office thermostats by one degree. Perhaps Greenpeace should be working with the UK Government on how best to implement the nuclear policy given the problems of waste disposal. Better to have influenced the outcome in that way than to have stood on the sidelines waving banners and wringing hands. By 2parasoldier - 10 January 2008 at 10:32am Haz, you'll still have to pay the Russians for oil and gas whether or not there's nuclear power. Nuclear power produces electricity; it doesn't contribute to our heating and transport needs. Most of the gas we use is for heating and hot water, or for industrial purposes. Virtually all oil is used for transport. In all, 86% of our oil and gas consumption is for purposes other than producing electricity. So how does nuclear electricity improve security of gas or oil supply? The real answer to oil dependence is improved vehicle efficiency, improved public transport and reducing the need to travel. For heating, we need to start using decentralised energy and CHP. Cheers, Bex gpuk By bex - 10 January 2008 at 12:41pm 2parasoldier, we lay out our energy solution at www.greenpeace.org.uk/solution. In short, it's decentralised energy, based on efficiency, renewables and combined heat and power. It's not only an alternative to nuclear power - it's an alternative that will actually work, and will significantly reduce our emissions / ensure energy security. Nuclear won't. From our point of view, decentralised energy is the pragmatic, realistic energy solution, and the claims Labour and the nukes industry are making about nuclear are pie in the sky. New nuclear power is a doomed attempt to shore up our ailing energy system. An energy system based on large, remote power stations is grossly wasteful (two third of energy is lost before it even reaches our homes and businesses), so we're arguing for an efficient, flexible energy system based on renewables and combined heat and power. To work with the government on how best to implement nuclear would be a nonsense for us: even leaving aside the waste, cost, inefficiency and siting issues, nuclear won't stop climate change so we wouldn't support it. On working with government instead of waving banners, we've been working to influence energy policy on several levels, but not all of it's very visible. We've worked with the Conservatives, we've had countless meetings with Labour, we've worked with local authorities, we've produced reports and documentaries, we've made submissions to energy reviews and audit committees... And of yep, when it's come to the crunch, we've taken direct action. Anyway, thanks for your support :) Bex gpuk By bex - 10 January 2008 at 2:23pm OK, limiting the argument to CO2 emissions as we seem to agree on safety/waste. Theoretically, what you're saying makes some sense. Practically though it's impossible. On heating, you say "if we converted to electric heating and all our electricity came from renewable/nuclear then CO2 emmissions are reduced". Apart from this being an extremely inefficient way of producing heat, there are a few problems with this. One: we wouldn't be able to build enough nuclear plants, for reasons of cost, siting, waste storage, vulnerability to climate change-induced flooding etc. Even the gvt and nukes industry are only suggesting building ten plants, to replace the ailing reactors we have, which together only provide 19 per cent of our electricity. And, if our (massive) heating needs were to be met by electricity as you suggest, our electricity needs would sky-rocket. Two: nuclear and renewables may both be able to run on the grid as long as both are making relatively small overall contributions, but both can't expand beyond a certain point without there being operational conflicts. Three: experience in other countries (see Finland) shows us that nuclear sucks investment - and, more importantly, political will - away from renewables. Four: nuclear locks us into our current, inflexible centralised model which is inherently massively inefficient. So for electricity, it makes sense that we should be going full-pelt for renewables - along with CHP and efficiency. You might be interested in this study in which scientists prove that Germany can be 100% powered by renewables. For heating, it makes more sense to use combined heat and power (CHP). Heat is a by-product of electricity generation, and at the moment we just let that by-product go up in smoke, and then use a load more energy (usually gas) to generate heat separately. CHP is the most efficient way possible to burn fossil fuels, and also allows us to make the transition to cleaner fuels (eg biomass) as they become available. On transport, yep, and as well as electric vehicles powered from low carbon electricity, we need massively improved vehicle efficiency, improved public transport systems and to reduce the need to travel (especially for business). And yep, point taken on your last paragraph :) Cheers, Bex gpuk By bex - 10 January 2008 at 2:56pm Rampant xenophobia aside, we'll still have to be paying someone for the fuel to run nuclear power stations. And that includes Russia. The UK is not exactly what you'd call self-sufficient in the stuff. web editor gpuk By jamie - 10 January 2008 at 5:16pm Well, what is wrong with the dark? Light a candle once in a while, instead of relying on electricity to run your life! So, then what happen to the extremley dangerous Nuclear waste? Well, we'll just dump it in the sea, like everything else, shall we? You should be a politician. Don't you want to protect this beautiful land you were born, and will die on? By David Hughes - 11 January 2008 at 7:57pm Many folk don't like nuclear technology. Part of me doesn't either. However, this is not a black and white issue, good or bad. Nuclear power may have to be part of the electricity generating solution. Question: Do you see mass energy efficiency, enough to cut energy use by 20% in one year? A. No Question: Are there enough offshore wind turbines, tidal lagoons, wave machines, decentralised CHP systems going in? Well no! What I read into Greenpeace at the moment. Lots of green dodgma and retrospect potest. The nuclear debate is good as done, barring a few legal challenges. What Greenpeace should be doing is being the sales organisation for energy efficiency, microgeneration and renewables, or become an energy sector irrelevance. Question: Do you see the mass consumer market at the moment putting en masse solar panels, duble helix wind turbines on there roofs, or digging in ground heat pumps? No, not many, not just yet! Consumers wish to buy and purchase their plasma screens, trade in their CRTs but not pay the same money for a solar heat panel for the roof. Dr David King is correct to comment on Green ideologs, and highlight the need to live with and part encompass the technological. The days of rubber dingies, wetsuits and blocking sellifield waste outlets is long gone. Greenpeace needs to ditch the ideogology, and grasp the Climate Change reality so as to attract consumer action, rather than repel consumers into inaction or indifference? By Commonsense - 12 January 2008 at 5:19pm Hi, I'm not totally against all of the issues greenpeace and other such pressure groups protest against. However i have to totally disagree with your thoughts about nuclear power. Nuclear power is the safest and most efficient form of renewable energy there is. In the UK, yes there is a stockpile of plutonium, but that is what reprocessing is there for to use up the stockpile and use it to create new nuclear fuel. One of the comments I have read on the website stated that sellafield is one of the most radioacvtice places in the UK if not the World. Well im sorry to say no its not. The most radioactive place in the UK is actually Cornwall. This is natural radiation from the type of rocks in the area. This means that people living in cornwall are being subjected to more radiation than anyone working or living near a nuclear site. I work on one so i should know. Also I don't know if your group will even comment on this, but a wind turbine was blown over by the wind! I mean what a joke! A wind turbine is meant to use the wind to produce electricity not to fall over becasue of it and also they can't even be used in high winds because they can break! Surely this means that they are a danger to the public if they can fall over in high winds. I'm 19 and I've been given a great opportunity to work on the most technical site in the world and also one of the most up and coming industries in the UK. I've got a great job and really enjoy it. The nuclear industry relies on groups like yourselves to put pressure on us so that we are constantly making progress on our on site safety. Keep up the good work. In Cumbria 11-12 K people work on a nuclear site and a further estimated 100 K people work indirectly with the nuclear industry in Cumbria. It would be insane not to firther developments in the UK. Maybe if people stopped complaining about nuclear power and actually got involved then they would quickly realise that it is the best industry to be involved with at this time and it would actually give you lot something to do instead of complaining about things that make this country a great one. Chris By fezza2008 - 25 January 2008 at 2:47pm 50 percent of the uranium reserves are in canada and australia, two western stable and friendly countries we can also reused a part of the nuclear waste and the plutonium of the nuclear weapons the raw material in the total cost of nuclear electricity is 5 percent not 80 for oil and gas so nuclear is relevant to protect our energy, and it s not xenophobic to say that remenber the two oil crisis, or the russian ukrainian gas war most of the oil countries are unstable, often dictatorships venezuela, russia, turkemesitan, niegeria, saudi arabia i prefere to be dependent on australia and canada By remy - 22 February 2008 at 6:11pm What the hell phoenix ? “Fill their pockets”, “fat”, “lazy”. are these meant to be serious arguments? Your choosing to denounce the very government that provides you with the lifestyle that you and millions others have grown accustomed to. Yes nuclear power is not a perfectly environmentally friendly answer, but it’s a feasible, well understood technology that provides a practical solution to the real big problem… climate change. We don’t have time for to experiment with visionary power sources. A complete renewable approach to energy is obviously favoured by all… but until the day we find a practical, efficient way to do this we have to make best with what we have. I completely agree with haz’s comment … At least he seem to have a grasp upon other major issues in the world By Naked_truth - 29 March 2008 at 10:21pm I am totally with Greenpeace on this - it seems that 90% of the people who come and post on here are not greenpeace supporters and are instead short-sighted, greedy and lazy oil addicts and pro-nuclear fanatics! (never mind the government!). In our lifetimes we have seen a glut of oil/coal/gas fossil fuels. Just over a century ago our use of these resources was miniscule. We have pretty much used them up - and the resulting party is all we can recall ("If I hadn't seen such riches - I could live with being poor"). It's all downhill from here (apart from prices which are going up, up, up) as anyone listening to the news recently will know! The oil party is over - time to clear up. So - nuclear. Safe, cheap & clean? No - not by any stretch of the imagination... encasing waste in glass and bribing people to accept it in their area is not a long-term solution - neither is burying itas deeply as we can. In case anyone hasn't noticed - the earth's surface is constantly shifting - the core is churning. One day some descendants of ours (if we have any at all) will have to cope not only with outrageous C02 and greenhouse gas levels due to our inability to take action, but they will also have to deal with our nuclear waste. Are we all hoping that in the future we will all be super-genii? Technology to the rescue? Send it to the moon/mars? Wake up and smell the isotopes!! BTW - to all those who think nuclear is a convenient solution - would you rather have a nuclear reactor less than 20 miles from your house or a bunch of windmills? Would you rather cut down on your consumption or store nuclear waste in your neighbourhood? CHP, Decentralised Power, Microgen on a domestic level, Improved domestic storage to level out peaks and troughs, Community Big Wind and Hydro, Electric/compressed air vehicles - this is the kind of future I want to see. By nommo - 30 April 2008 at 1:54pm the fact is that we need energy and if you dont want to pay people to get oil for you to live on then maybe you should go on your computer and waste energy that we all need By energy - 5 May 2008 at 7:31pm Being one of these "short-sighted, greedy and lazy oil addicts and pro-nuclear fanatics" as you stated, ,whilst nuclear energy is not completely clean, it is the best option right now given our current situation. "Are we all hoping that in the future we will all be super-genii? Technology to the rescue? Send it to the moon/mars? Wake up and smell the isotopes!!" 200 years ago, people thought that the moon,sun and planets were attached to the earth with huge crystal shards, Now, we know that we orbit the sun, due to its large gravitational pull, and that the moon orbits us. Its called progress and right now, all Greenpeace wants to do is halt that progress, if astrologers and scientists had listened to you people all those years ago, we would still be living in dirty, flea-ridden huts in the middle of the countryside. Yes, that would mean you would have nothing like what you have no toilet, no bath, no car, no computer, no TV, no radio and still think that the Earth was the centre of the universe. By TheBurningPie - 11 May 2008 at 9:35pm Hey Pie, where do you get the idea that protecting the environment is somehow 'against progress'? To my mind true progress is about understanding and applying knowledge (I think the process is called 'learning from experience'). 150 years ago or more when we embarked on the industrial revolution we had little idea of the eventual consequences in terms of pollution and environmental damage (and we had a global population of maybe one quarter the size). Now we have a much better idea, and the best available peer-reviewed science is warning that it is possible for us to destroy our own habitats through over farming and fishing, deforestation and burning ever increasing amounts of fossil fuels. How can it be 'against progress' to acknowledge this and try to find ways to minimise the impact? Your position is much more 'flat-earth' than Greenpeace's. They are identifying problems which could wreck our cilvilisation if we choose to ignore them, and looking for ways to minimise them - you sound more like the captain of the Titanic - "full speed ahead and damn the consequences!" Greenpeace is listening to the scientific consensus and trying to act on it - you and your ilk are the true Luddites. By slowdazzle - 13 May 2008 at 10:57am I am a Civil Engineering student completing a Masters Degree and as part of this I have to produce a feasibility report on the use of nuclear power in the UK. I am doing this as part of a group, and some of our research so far has come up with some interesting points. Firstly, the economic cost of wind and wave power is phenomenal (particularly of offshore wind farms), and these costs will be passed on to the consumer. Although reducing CO2 emissions does come at a price, not everyone will be able to afford the hike in energy prices. Electricity production from wind and wave energy is much smaller and as such requires a huge number of units to compete with the output of a nuclear power plant. Coupled with the fact that many of the wind farms proposed and pushed by organisations such as Greenpeace require siting some distance from the shore, often as much as 50km. This then requires the tranmission of the produced electricity back to the shore and along the length of 50km the resistance of the cables results in substantial transmission losses, thus requiring more units to compensate. A wind turbine can produce approximately 1MW at best, whereas a 3rd generation nuclear power plant can produce 1600MW, meaning that 1600 wind turbines would be required to replace the planned construction of a nuclear power plant. We calculate that 12 power plants are required in the UK to produce approximately 36% of the base load. This means nearly 200,000 wind turbines either around the coast of the UK or on land, close to urban centres. Germany and Spain have many more wind turbines in use than the UK at present, as described by Greenpeace in some of their online articles, however the size of these countries mean that they can site wind farms away from urban areas in more mountainous regions and maximise the efficiency of their production. This is more difficult to do offshore or on our relatively small island. Also associated with the production of the huge number of required turbines is the production of CO2. Steel manufacture produces a vast amount of CO2, generally more than concrete production and use. This is a massive amount to claw back throughout the relatively low 20 year life span of wind turbines compared to 60 years or more for nuclear power plants. This again results in more money being paid out for maintenance and eventual replacement. The carbon footprint of a wind farm(s) big enough to produce as much electricity as a nuclear power plant will most likely outweigh that of the nuclear power plant. Although there is no CO2 production throughout the life of a windfarm, the CO2 produced to manufacture and construct it will be huge. Along side this, once the construction of a nuclear power plant is complete there is no further CO2 production other than the transportation of fuels (in minimal amounts), and there will be lower transmission losses, overall making nuclear a cleaner way of producing electricity. The siting of wind farms will also cause problems, which organisations such as Greenpeace could be against. These will be environmental issues such as protected bird species and sealife that the construction and use of wind turbines could endanger. The new nuclear power plants can utilise the brown field sites of exisiting nuclear plants that are being decomissioned, and build new or maintain existing wildlife reserve areas around the plants, meaning that environmental impacts are lower. Although there is some waste produced by the nuclear process, after a 5 year cooling down period the waste is transported elsewhere in the EU or other parts of the world for reprocessing, and after this some of it can be used again as a nuclear fuel. The safety proceedures employed in modern nuclear power plants are fantastically sophisticated and the chances of any kind of accident are so minimal that they might as well be non-existent. Nuclear power plants have moved on dramatically since the days of Chernobyl and that type of incident is impossible due to the changes in the process. Looking at technologies such as CHP, I belive that local plants could be of some help but are not as efficient as others would lead us to believe. The small plants could not heat many houses due to the fact that they will not get very hot themselves and they still require the burning of fossil fuels. Even burning straw bales and wood pellets (as proposed in Greepeace's online article) will produce CO2, so it's not such an efficient process after all. New nuclear power plants could sell waste heat to nearby heavy and light industry, as they producing steam at 300 degrees C. However, I don't think too many people will want to live close to a nuclear plant or CHP unit, and the losses involved in heat transfer means that it cannot be transported large distances. In additional to all of the electricity production we require, I believe that we need to conserve as much as possible and reduce our energy use and CO2 production. This can be done by using environmental methods of transport, electric car, public transport, cycling etc. By insulating homes and using double glazing we can save on heating requirements. Careful consideration of our habits and energy consumption can go a long way but we still need to produce electricity in the most sustainable manner possible. I think that some people have overlooked some very important aspects of so called 'renewable' energies and have not looked at the overall picture in terms of carbon production from manufacture and also the efficiency with which the energy can be delivered to consumers across the UK. Overall, in terms of economic, social and environmental sustainability, I believe that nuclear is the only way that we can currently fulfill the countries energy demands. By dcoughlan - 10 October 2008 at 11:13am I feel that the dangers associated with nuclear power are exaggerated when compared to other sources of energy. The deaths per GWy (Giga watt year) are much lower for nuclear power than any other source excluding hydro. Coal inparticular has a far higher death rate per GWy of energy. By sweep123 - 5 November 2008 at 11:17pm We have seen with the banking crisis what happens when the downside risks are thought to be too small to worry about, the scale of the potential hazard is ignored and regulation is relaxed. With nuclear power we have an industry where the risks are seemingly very small but the hazards remain huge. Will the lessons learnt by the Financial Services Authority be passed on to the Health & Safety Executive – the nuclear regulator? I hope so. A massive shortfall in our energy supplies is looming and to meet the targets (to stop there being blackouts) it seems that as speed is of the essence some of the risks we face are being put to one side and are not being properly addressed. I have recently finished "Latent Hazard" - a thought provoking and scary view of how vulnerable we might be - " we are sleepwalking on a tightrope without a safety net" – it highlights the hazards we are exposed to, and the need for some joined up thinking and a proper debate on the energy crisis lead by those without vested financial interests. The banking crisis has triggered a reassessment of financial risks and hazards. However, the resulting economic slump and the fall in the price of fossil fuels have prompted the decision makers to shelve many of their green energy projects. Now is the very time that there should be incentives for Research and Development into energy efficiency and green energy sources in addition to the New Economics Foundation’s proposals for new funding for greening the economy. An energy crisis on top of a very costly financial crisis would be devastating. By autarky - 31 March 2009 at 3:48pm It seems that many of the people reading this article are with me on this one. Doing as the article suggests, and not building nuclear or any other carbon generating sort of power would put us years behind in terms of technological progress and leave us more or less at the mercy of those who don't want to cover their country with PV cells and wind turbines, both of legendary inefficiency, just to keep the lights switched on in the Greenpeace offices. Reprocessing fuel, as we already do, means we can recover >99% of the spent fuel and use it again, reducing the storage problem. The terrorist threat is very unlikely, especially if hot cycle reprocessing is used, meaning, for those who oppose nuclear and haven't reasearched their arguments properly, that the rods are reprocessed without letting the radioactivity die down; I'd like to see any terrorist nick red-hot radioactive chunks of fuel! To those who've said that we're not uranium sufficient: reprocessing can recover much of the stuff, LMFBR's can burn unenriched U-238 and France, which isn't really self sufficient, manages well enough. I say buy it from Australia, who more or less like us, and by the time that's run out, someone should have discovered fusion, and we don't have a shortage of water. To the person who said we still need fossil fuels for cars etc: What about the plug-in hybrids, or pure electric cars, that you so love? Superconductors, quite close to fruition, would enable centralised power. True, energy efficiency has a place, but that can't reduce our power requirements to the point where we can rely on low load factor renewables, at least before the 'climate apocalypse' threatened on these pages occurs. Sorry greenpeace, but you're wrong. By nuke the world - 9 February 2009 at 7:48pm The 230,000,000 tons of coal required for a coal power station also contains 4 tons of Uranium; the total radioactive emissions of a Magnox are around .05 rem per year. Far lower than background. Although the well-publicised KiKK study seems to show leukaemia clusters, these could be caused either by the sub-stations, which also seem to have leukaemia clusters, and are found near all power stations, and also, if all the clusters are taken into account, the neat little pattern suddenly looks quite random. By nuke the world - 9 February 2009 at 7:51pm I have been reading the comments with great interest. But what really confuses me is why nobody seems to think the aftermath is a cause for concern. Surely, with the rubble from Nuclear sites now going in to landfill sites it brings about lots more reasons why we shouldn’t rely on Nuclear power. It is buried under a metre and a half of soil in pits less than a mile from heavily populated villages. The levels emitted are claimed to be safe but how can you trust these figures. I have read that in many years down the line Drigg will be uninhabitable. There are issues of transporting it from all corners of the UK and with the lack of monitoring (as it seems to be left up to the landfill company to do that) how are we to know that they are sticking to their guidelines. Is there a risk of leakage? If the rubble is radioactive surely the soil piled on top in landfill is the same. I cant see that double sealed bags are going to prevent it escaping. I am as you can probably tell not very up on my radioactive waste knowledge but what does concern me is that we are not considering the mess we are creating for future generations. By Melanie McCall - 11 June 2009 at 9:40pm Nuclear Power produces tons of waste. Places all over the world are shipping their waste to britain, so we can store it for them. The vast majority is put into shipping containers that are then filled with concrete. Once the pit they are storing these in gets full, they will simply cover it in soil and forget about it. This means hundeds of years from now, some one could find it, and not kowing what it was, could end up causing harm to people withit, even if it was purely accidental. Surely this is why we need to start using sustainable energy such as wind and solar, so we don't end up causing this damage. By Jennie_d - 15 October 2009 at 5:58pm Yes, I'm all electric here. Electric cooker, heater etc. You need to come up with some better reasons against nuclear energy than the ones stated here. By Villy - 12 November 2009 at 3:00pm The 'Masters degree' student 'dcoughlan' who suggests that wind energy uses to much steel etc. should I suggest change careers! I assume the alleged student has read the appropriate research into wind farms that clearly shows that the carbon footprint of wind energy is very similar to nuclear! The quantities of steel and concrete used results in similar carbon footprints. The poor research posted by dcoughlan is the sort of thing one would expect from an amateur anti-wind web site, not a masters degree student. Some research for our alleged student friend to ponder: White, Scott - Net Energy Payback and CO2 Emissions from Three Midwestern Wind Farms: An Update 2006 Barbara Batumbya Nalukowe, Jianguo Liu, Wiedmer Damien,Tomasz Lukawski - Life Cycle Assessment of a Wind Turbine 2006 Gagnon - Civilisation and energy payback 2008 Motoaki Utamura - Analytical model of carbon dioxide emission with energy payback effect 2004 Lenzen and Munksgaard, Energy and CO2 Analysis of Wind Turbines - Review and Applications. Uwe R. Frische - Comparison of Greenhouse-Gas Emissions and Abatement Cost of Nuclear and Alternative Energy Options from a Life-Cycle Perspective. 2006 BTW There's more where that came from. By Villy - 12 November 2009 at 3:14pm You are fogetting that the problems of the waste are constantly being investigated, one idea is the use of a large rail gun to launch the unuseable material into the sun this if the idea works an is safe enough will be cheap enough for nuclear waste to be permantly disposed of. Also the fact is that nuclear reactors are purely the idea of a stop gap while the research on Fussion reactors produces a working prototype that can then be put into commercial use. But this next step in the development is not expected for another 50 years By Bettsy - 18 December 2009 at 11:49am This is true that if this project would go on this will be really harmful in the next few decades. According to the recent research of Australian Medical Locums, no matter what safety measures they are taking this will be harmful. By emmas123 - 16 April 2010 at 2:23pm Hi there guys, I'd just like to tell you I live in a mansion made of Amazonian mahogany, powered by burning whale oil. It also has oil and coal burning stoves, and I cut down the surrounding wood to make a golf course. And you know what else? I force orangutans to dig for oil in my diamond mines. By Dr. Acula - 19 April 2010 at 2:01pm Usual drivel from Greenpeace, this time about nuclear power. Personally, I don't want to pay the Russians billions for gas or oil, or be left at their behest. Wind and wave power is a joke in terms of efficiency and the damage the apparatus does to the environment; nuclear power is the only option, or I guess we could live in the dark. Greenpeace used to be useful organisation, now all it does is endlessly block progress. I guess that's what happens to all single issue pressure groups, eventually. By Haz - 10 January 2008 at 8:46am Why do the so called goverment always turn to nuclear power......they're fat and lazy and don't care about the people or the enviroment, just how much they can fill thier own pockets!!! Nuclear power is'nt progress it's an easy option for them. If people don't want to pay billions to other countries for energy resorces, cut down and do your bit to save energy, reduce emisions and find cleaner, save ways to harness energy. We're not put on this earth to drain it dry........mother earth has looked after and given to humanity for millions of years, about time we stop taking and start giving. By phoenix - 10 January 2008 at 9:54am I'm no expert, but the above arguments seemed completely flawed to me. I accept Nuclear power can cause devastation if things go wrong and we are storing up problems for the future on where to store the toxic waste. But as far as the more pressing issue goes regarding CO2 emmission Nuclear seems to make sense to me. The article states the most CO2 emmissions are cause by the burning of Gas and Oil used by transport and that Nuclear power can only generate electricity so this doesn't help. Surely thats because lorries, vans, cars, some trains all use fuel derived from oil. So for transport it makes sense to me we should be forcing the use of electric vehicles and using renewable/nuclear power to provide the electricity to power these vehicles. Then there is the problem of air travel/Ferries which I can see at the moment would be impossible to use electricity so these will have to rely on techology to reduce CO2 emissions. As far as heating is concerned if we converted to electric heating and all our electricity came from renewable/nuclear then CO2 emmissions are reduced. Also the reality is more and more electricity will be consumed as air conditioning, more homes, more commercial properties, street lighting, electrical gadgets and hopeful electrical transportation. Wind Farms have their own problems with wild life, what to do when there is no wind and the devestation they cause the natural beauty. We don't have enough sunlight to use solar power. Also there are technical limitations on how far electricity can travel so I understand you cannot suppy London with wind farms off the north coast of Scotland. I don't have the answers but slamming down every idea just because it has a flaw will just destroy the human race. You have to deal with the issues having most impact and disposal of nuclear fuel has less of an impact than CO2 emmissions. BTW its not about saving the planet, the earth will always survive given a few million years, its life as we know thats risking extinction. By geedoubleu - 10 January 2008 at 10:24am I have been a Greenpeace supporter and member for longer than I can remember. In practical terms, I cannot agree with Phoenix' views. The reality is that there is little alternative to nuclear power for the foreseeable future. All methods of power generation have their advantages and disadvantages. Returning to the Bronze Age as advocated by extremists is simply not an option. In truth, private power generating has to make a profit to invest in future technology and infrastructure. Remember that pension funds investing in companies do so that pensioners can get an income in old age. There are many other factors that make profitability important so it's not just about directors' salaries. There is no place for idealism in this debate, whether it is from Greenpeace, the Government, environmental extremists or the criminals that cuts down the forests (they are also contributing to climate change). Like I said, I have been a Greenpeace supporter for many years. Opposing nuclear power is not good. Successfully opposing nuclear generating industry could result in people having to cut down trees for fuel in winter or using expensive fossil fuels adding to climate change simply because there was not enough power to go around. Folks like phoenix, no matter how well intentioned, are taking too narrow a view. To conclude, I feel I must add some of my own credentials. I am a successful businessman in a low carbon industry. I do not own a car and travel mostly by public transport. My family vehicle is a one litre Nissan Micra. I do not fly when going on holiday. I recycle almost everything and have energy saving light bulbs and turn everything off standby when not in use. Oh, and I've turned down my home and office thermostats by one degree. Perhaps Greenpeace should be working with the UK Government on how best to implement the nuclear policy given the problems of waste disposal. Better to have influenced the outcome in that way than to have stood on the sidelines waving banners and wringing hands. By 2parasoldier - 10 January 2008 at 10:32am Haz, you'll still have to pay the Russians for oil and gas whether or not there's nuclear power. Nuclear power produces electricity; it doesn't contribute to our heating and transport needs. Most of the gas we use is for heating and hot water, or for industrial purposes. Virtually all oil is used for transport. In all, 86% of our oil and gas consumption is for purposes other than producing electricity. So how does nuclear electricity improve security of gas or oil supply? The real answer to oil dependence is improved vehicle efficiency, improved public transport and reducing the need to travel. For heating, we need to start using decentralised energy and CHP. Cheers, Bex gpuk By bex - 10 January 2008 at 12:41pm 2parasoldier, we lay out our energy solution at www.greenpeace.org.uk/solution. In short, it's decentralised energy, based on efficiency, renewables and combined heat and power. It's not only an alternative to nuclear power - it's an alternative that will actually work, and will significantly reduce our emissions / ensure energy security. Nuclear won't. From our point of view, decentralised energy is the pragmatic, realistic energy solution, and the claims Labour and the nukes industry are making about nuclear are pie in the sky. New nuclear power is a doomed attempt to shore up our ailing energy system. An energy system based on large, remote power stations is grossly wasteful (two third of energy is lost before it even reaches our homes and businesses), so we're arguing for an efficient, flexible energy system based on renewables and combined heat and power. To work with the government on how best to implement nuclear would be a nonsense for us: even leaving aside the waste, cost, inefficiency and siting issues, nuclear won't stop climate change so we wouldn't support it. On working with government instead of waving banners, we've been working to influence energy policy on several levels, but not all of it's very visible. We've worked with the Conservatives, we've had countless meetings with Labour, we've worked with local authorities, we've produced reports and documentaries, we've made submissions to energy reviews and audit committees... And of yep, when it's come to the crunch, we've taken direct action. Anyway, thanks for your support :) Bex gpuk By bex - 10 January 2008 at 2:23pm OK, limiting the argument to CO2 emissions as we seem to agree on safety/waste. Theoretically, what you're saying makes some sense. Practically though it's impossible. On heating, you say "if we converted to electric heating and all our electricity came from renewable/nuclear then CO2 emmissions are reduced". Apart from this being an extremely inefficient way of producing heat, there are a few problems with this. One: we wouldn't be able to build enough nuclear plants, for reasons of cost, siting, waste storage, vulnerability to climate change-induced flooding etc. Even the gvt and nukes industry are only suggesting building ten plants, to replace the ailing reactors we have, which together only provide 19 per cent of our electricity. And, if our (massive) heating needs were to be met by electricity as you suggest, our electricity needs would sky-rocket. Two: nuclear and renewables may both be able to run on the grid as long as both are making relatively small overall contributions, but both can't expand beyond a certain point without there being operational conflicts. Three: experience in other countries (see Finland) shows us that nuclear sucks investment - and, more importantly, political will - away from renewables. Four: nuclear locks us into our current, inflexible centralised model which is inherently massively inefficient. So for electricity, it makes sense that we should be going full-pelt for renewables - along with CHP and efficiency. You might be interested in this study in which scientists prove that Germany can be 100% powered by renewables. For heating, it makes more sense to use combined heat and power (CHP). Heat is a by-product of electricity generation, and at the moment we just let that by-product go up in smoke, and then use a load more energy (usually gas) to generate heat separately. CHP is the most efficient way possible to burn fossil fuels, and also allows us to make the transition to cleaner fuels (eg biomass) as they become available. On transport, yep, and as well as electric vehicles powered from low carbon electricity, we need massively improved vehicle efficiency, improved public transport systems and to reduce the need to travel (especially for business). And yep, point taken on your last paragraph :) Cheers, Bex gpuk By bex - 10 January 2008 at 2:56pm Rampant xenophobia aside, we'll still have to be paying someone for the fuel to run nuclear power stations. And that includes Russia. The UK is not exactly what you'd call self-sufficient in the stuff. web editor gpuk By jamie - 10 January 2008 at 5:16pm Well, what is wrong with the dark? Light a candle once in a while, instead of relying on electricity to run your life! So, then what happen to the extremley dangerous Nuclear waste? Well, we'll just dump it in the sea, like everything else, shall we? You should be a politician. Don't you want to protect this beautiful land you were born, and will die on? By David Hughes - 11 January 2008 at 7:57pm Many folk don't like nuclear technology. Part of me doesn't either. However, this is not a black and white issue, good or bad. Nuclear power may have to be part of the electricity generating solution. Question: Do you see mass energy efficiency, enough to cut energy use by 20% in one year? A. No Question: Are there enough offshore wind turbines, tidal lagoons, wave machines, decentralised CHP systems going in? Well no! What I read into Greenpeace at the moment. Lots of green dodgma and retrospect potest. The nuclear debate is good as done, barring a few legal challenges. What Greenpeace should be doing is being the sales organisation for energy efficiency, microgeneration and renewables, or become an energy sector irrelevance. Question: Do you see the mass consumer market at the moment putting en masse solar panels, duble helix wind turbines on there roofs, or digging in ground heat pumps? No, not many, not just yet! Consumers wish to buy and purchase their plasma screens, trade in their CRTs but not pay the same money for a solar heat panel for the roof. Dr David King is correct to comment on Green ideologs, and highlight the need to live with and part encompass the technological. The days of rubber dingies, wetsuits and blocking sellifield waste outlets is long gone. Greenpeace needs to ditch the ideogology, and grasp the Climate Change reality so as to attract consumer action, rather than repel consumers into inaction or indifference? By Commonsense - 12 January 2008 at 5:19pm Hi, I'm not totally against all of the issues greenpeace and other such pressure groups protest against. However i have to totally disagree with your thoughts about nuclear power. Nuclear power is the safest and most efficient form of renewable energy there is. In the UK, yes there is a stockpile of plutonium, but that is what reprocessing is there for to use up the stockpile and use it to create new nuclear fuel. One of the comments I have read on the website stated that sellafield is one of the most radioacvtice places in the UK if not the World. Well im sorry to say no its not. The most radioactive place in the UK is actually Cornwall. This is natural radiation from the type of rocks in the area. This means that people living in cornwall are being subjected to more radiation than anyone working or living near a nuclear site. I work on one so i should know. Also I don't know if your group will even comment on this, but a wind turbine was blown over by the wind! I mean what a joke! A wind turbine is meant to use the wind to produce electricity not to fall over becasue of it and also they can't even be used in high winds because they can break! Surely this means that they are a danger to the public if they can fall over in high winds. I'm 19 and I've been given a great opportunity to work on the most technical site in the world and also one of the most up and coming industries in the UK. I've got a great job and really enjoy it. The nuclear industry relies on groups like yourselves to put pressure on us so that we are constantly making progress on our on site safety. Keep up the good work. In Cumbria 11-12 K people work on a nuclear site and a further estimated 100 K people work indirectly with the nuclear industry in Cumbria. It would be insane not to firther developments in the UK. Maybe if people stopped complaining about nuclear power and actually got involved then they would quickly realise that it is the best industry to be involved with at this time and it would actually give you lot something to do instead of complaining about things that make this country a great one. Chris By fezza2008 - 25 January 2008 at 2:47pm 50 percent of the uranium reserves are in canada and australia, two western stable and friendly countries we can also reused a part of the nuclear waste and the plutonium of the nuclear weapons the raw material in the total cost of nuclear electricity is 5 percent not 80 for oil and gas so nuclear is relevant to protect our energy, and it s not xenophobic to say that remenber the two oil crisis, or the russian ukrainian gas war most of the oil countries are unstable, often dictatorships venezuela, russia, turkemesitan, niegeria, saudi arabia i prefere to be dependent on australia and canada By remy - 22 February 2008 at 6:11pm What the hell phoenix ? “Fill their pockets”, “fat”, “lazy”. are these meant to be serious arguments? Your choosing to denounce the very government that provides you with the lifestyle that you and millions others have grown accustomed to. Yes nuclear power is not a perfectly environmentally friendly answer, but it’s a feasible, well understood technology that provides a practical solution to the real big problem… climate change. We don’t have time for to experiment with visionary power sources. A complete renewable approach to energy is obviously favoured by all… but until the day we find a practical, efficient way to do this we have to make best with what we have. I completely agree with haz’s comment … At least he seem to have a grasp upon other major issues in the world By Naked_truth - 29 March 2008 at 10:21pm I am totally with Greenpeace on this - it seems that 90% of the people who come and post on here are not greenpeace supporters and are instead short-sighted, greedy and lazy oil addicts and pro-nuclear fanatics! (never mind the government!). In our lifetimes we have seen a glut of oil/coal/gas fossil fuels. Just over a century ago our use of these resources was miniscule. We have pretty much used them up - and the resulting party is all we can recall ("If I hadn't seen such riches - I could live with being poor"). It's all downhill from here (apart from prices which are going up, up, up) as anyone listening to the news recently will know! The oil party is over - time to clear up. So - nuclear. Safe, cheap & clean? No - not by any stretch of the imagination... encasing waste in glass and bribing people to accept it in their area is not a long-term solution - neither is burying itas deeply as we can. In case anyone hasn't noticed - the earth's surface is constantly shifting - the core is churning. One day some descendants of ours (if we have any at all) will have to cope not only with outrageous C02 and greenhouse gas levels due to our inability to take action, but they will also have to deal with our nuclear waste. Are we all hoping that in the future we will all be super-genii? Technology to the rescue? Send it to the moon/mars? Wake up and smell the isotopes!! BTW - to all those who think nuclear is a convenient solution - would you rather have a nuclear reactor less than 20 miles from your house or a bunch of windmills? Would you rather cut down on your consumption or store nuclear waste in your neighbourhood? CHP, Decentralised Power, Microgen on a domestic level, Improved domestic storage to level out peaks and troughs, Community Big Wind and Hydro, Electric/compressed air vehicles - this is the kind of future I want to see. By nommo - 30 April 2008 at 1:54pm the fact is that we need energy and if you dont want to pay people to get oil for you to live on then maybe you should go on your computer and waste energy that we all need By energy - 5 May 2008 at 7:31pm Being one of these "short-sighted, greedy and lazy oil addicts and pro-nuclear fanatics" as you stated, ,whilst nuclear energy is not completely clean, it is the best option right now given our current situation. "Are we all hoping that in the future we will all be super-genii? Technology to the rescue? Send it to the moon/mars? Wake up and smell the isotopes!!" 200 years ago, people thought that the moon,sun and planets were attached to the earth with huge crystal shards, Now, we know that we orbit the sun, due to its large gravitational pull, and that the moon orbits us. Its called progress and right now, all Greenpeace wants to do is halt that progress, if astrologers and scientists had listened to you people all those years ago, we would still be living in dirty, flea-ridden huts in the middle of the countryside. Yes, that would mean you would have nothing like what you have no toilet, no bath, no car, no computer, no TV, no radio and still think that the Earth was the centre of the universe. By TheBurningPie - 11 May 2008 at 9:35pm I am a Civil Engineering student completing a Masters Degree and as part of this I have to produce a feasibility report on the use of nuclear power in the UK. I am doing this as part of a group, and some of our research so far has come up with some interesting points. Firstly, the economic cost of wind and wave power is phenomenal (particularly of offshore wind farms), and these costs will be passed on to the consumer. Although reducing CO2 emissions does come at a price, not everyone will be able to afford the hike in energy prices. Electricity production from wind and wave energy is much smaller and as such requires a huge number of units to compete with the output of a nuclear power plant. Coupled with the fact that many of the wind farms proposed and pushed by organisations such as Greenpeace require siting some distance from the shore, often as much as 50km. This then requires the tranmission of the produced electricity back to the shore and along the length of 50km the resistance of the cables results in substantial transmission losses, thus requiring more units to compensate. A wind turbine can produce approximately 1MW at best, whereas a 3rd generation nuclear power plant can produce 1600MW, meaning that 1600 wind turbines would be required to replace the planned construction of a nuclear power plant. We calculate that 12 power plants are required in the UK to produce approximately 36% of the base load. This means nearly 200,000 wind turbines either around the coast of the UK or on land, close to urban centres. Germany and Spain have many more wind turbines in use than the UK at present, as described by Greenpeace in some of their online articles, however the size of these countries mean that they can site wind farms away from urban areas in more mountainous regions and maximise the efficiency of their production. This is more difficult to do offshore or on our relatively small island. Also associated with the production of the huge number of required turbines is the production of CO2. Steel manufacture produces a vast amount of CO2, generally more than concrete production and use. This is a massive amount to claw back throughout the relatively low 20 year life span of wind turbines compared to 60 years or more for nuclear power plants. This again results in more money being paid out for maintenance and eventual replacement. The carbon footprint of a wind farm(s) big enough to produce as much electricity as a nuclear power plant will most likely outweigh that of the nuclear power plant. Although there is no CO2 production throughout the life of a windfarm, the CO2 produced to manufacture and construct it will be huge. Along side this, once the construction of a nuclear power plant is complete there is no further CO2 production other than the transportation of fuels (in minimal amounts), and there will be lower transmission losses, overall making nuclear a cleaner way of producing electricity. The siting of wind farms will also cause problems, which organisations such as Greenpeace could be against. These will be environmental issues such as protected bird species and sealife that the construction and use of wind turbines could endanger. The new nuclear power plants can utilise the brown field sites of exisiting nuclear plants that are being decomissioned, and build new or maintain existing wildlife reserve areas around the plants, meaning that environmental impacts are lower. Although there is some waste produced by the nuclear process, after a 5 year cooling down period the waste is transported elsewhere in the EU or other parts of the world for reprocessing, and after this some of it can be used again as a nuclear fuel. The safety proceedures employed in modern nuclear power plants are fantastically sophisticated and the chances of any kind of accident are so minimal that they might as well be non-existent. Nuclear power plants have moved on dramatically since the days of Chernobyl and that type of incident is impossible due to the changes in the process. Looking at technologies such as CHP, I belive that local plants could be of some help but are not as efficient as others would lead us to believe. The small plants could not heat many houses due to the fact that they will not get very hot themselves and they still require the burning of fossil fuels. Even burning straw bales and wood pellets (as proposed in Greepeace's online article) will produce CO2, so it's not such an efficient process after all. New nuclear power plants could sell waste heat to nearby heavy and light industry, as they producing steam at 300 degrees C. However, I don't think too many people will want to live close to a nuclear plant or CHP unit, and the losses involved in heat transfer means that it cannot be transported large distances. In additional to all of the electricity production we require, I believe that we need to conserve as much as possible and reduce our energy use and CO2 production. This can be done by using environmental methods of transport, electric car, public transport, cycling etc. By insulating homes and using double glazing we can save on heating requirements. Careful consideration of our habits and energy consumption can go a long way but we still need to produce electricity in the most sustainable manner possible. I think that some people have overlooked some very important aspects of so called 'renewable' energies and have not looked at the overall picture in terms of carbon production from manufacture and also the efficiency with which the energy can be delivered to consumers across the UK. Overall, in terms of economic, social and environmental sustainability, I believe that nuclear is the only way that we can currently fulfill the countries energy demands. By dcoughlan - 10 October 2008 at 11:13am I feel that the dangers associated with nuclear power are exaggerated when compared to other sources of energy. The deaths per GWy (Giga watt year) are much lower for nuclear power than any other source excluding hydro. Coal inparticular has a far higher death rate per GWy of energy. By sweep123 - 5 November 2008 at 11:17pm We have seen with the banking crisis what happens when the downside risks are thought to be too small to worry about, the scale of the potential hazard is ignored and regulation is relaxed. With nuclear power we have an industry where the risks are seemingly very small but the hazards remain huge. Will the lessons learnt by the Financial Services Authority be passed on to the Health & Safety Executive – the nuclear regulator? I hope so. A massive shortfall in our energy supplies is looming and to meet the targets (to stop there being blackouts) it seems that as speed is of the essence some of the risks we face are being put to one side and are not being properly addressed. I have recently finished "Latent Hazard" - a thought provoking and scary view of how vulnerable we might be - " we are sleepwalking on a tightrope without a safety net" – it highlights the hazards we are exposed to, and the need for some joined up thinking and a proper debate on the energy crisis lead by those without vested financial interests. The banking crisis has triggered a reassessment of financial risks and hazards. However, the resulting economic slump and the fall in the price of fossil fuels have prompted the decision makers to shelve many of their green energy projects. Now is the very time that there should be incentives for Research and Development into energy efficiency and green energy sources in addition to the New Economics Foundation’s proposals for new funding for greening the economy. An energy crisis on top of a very costly financial crisis would be devastating. By autarky - 31 March 2009 at 3:48pm It seems that many of the people reading this article are with me on this one. Doing as the article suggests, and not building nuclear or any other carbon generating sort of power would put us years behind in terms of technological progress and leave us more or less at the mercy of those who don't want to cover their country with PV cells and wind turbines, both of legendary inefficiency, just to keep the lights switched on in the Greenpeace offices. Reprocessing fuel, as we already do, means we can recover >99% of the spent fuel and use it again, reducing the storage problem. The terrorist threat is very unlikely, especially if hot cycle reprocessing is used, meaning, for those who oppose nuclear and haven't reasearched their arguments properly, that the rods are reprocessed without letting the radioactivity die down; I'd like to see any terrorist nick red-hot radioactive chunks of fuel! To those who've said that we're not uranium sufficient: reprocessing can recover much of the stuff, LMFBR's can burn unenriched U-238 and France, which isn't really self sufficient, manages well enough. I say buy it from Australia, who more or less like us, and by the time that's run out, someone should have discovered fusion, and we don't have a shortage of water. To the person who said we still need fossil fuels for cars etc: What about the plug-in hybrids, or pure electric cars, that you so love? Superconductors, quite close to fruition, would enable centralised power. True, energy efficiency has a place, but that can't reduce our power requirements to the point where we can rely on low load factor renewables, at least before the 'climate apocalypse' threatened on these pages occurs. Sorry greenpeace, but you're wrong. By nuke the world - 9 February 2009 at 7:48pm The 230,000,000 tons of coal required for a coal power station also contains 4 tons of Uranium; the total radioactive emissions of a Magnox are around .05 rem per year. Far lower than background. Although the well-publicised KiKK study seems to show leukaemia clusters, these could be caused either by the sub-stations, which also seem to have leukaemia clusters, and are found near all power stations, and also, if all the clusters are taken into account, the neat little pattern suddenly looks quite random. 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[close-icon.png] Skip to the content [IOP] A website from the Institute of Physics * Sign in * Forgotten your password? * Sign up * Contact us physicsworld.com Search ____________________ Search Filter by topic [Please select…_________________________________] Filter * Home * News * Blog * Multimedia * In depth * Jobs * Events Buyer’s guide News archive * 2013 * 2012 * 2011 * 2010 * 2009 * 2008 + December 2008 + November 2008 + October 2008 + September 2008 + August 2008 + July 2008 + June 2008 + May 2008 + April 2008 + March 2008 + February 2008 + January 2008 * 2007 * 2006 * 2005 * 2004 * 2003 * 2002 * 2001 * 2000 * 1999 * 1998 * 1997 Webinar series webinar Advanced modelling of magnetic materials using Opera FEA software Sponsored by Cobham Register for this free webinar Corporate video Rolls-Royce employer showcase event Learn more – view video Key suppliers Mega Industries LLC Janis Research Company Inc British Vacuum Council Corporate partners FuG Elektronik GmbH (opens in new window) Hiden Analytical Limited (opens in new window) Goodfellow Cambridge Limited (opens in new window) PDE Solutions Inc (opens in new window) Contact us for advertising information Share this * E-mail to a friend * StumbleUpon * Twitter * Facebook * Connotea * CiteUlike * Bookmark and Share Related stories * A new dawn for nuclear power * Nuclear questions * The future of nuclear power * Do we need nuclear power? * Energy R&D needs more investment Related links * UK government white paper (PDF, 1MB) Related products New Cryogenic spares and accessories website Oxford Instruments NanoScience Mar 23, 2012 12” Coax Gas Barrier Mega Industries LLC Jan 31, 2012 Radiation hardened camera Thermo Fisher Scientific Jan 14, 2013 UK opts for nuclear power Jan 10, 2008 The UK government has today announced plans to replace the country's existing nuclear power stations to help meet its target of reducing carbon emissions by 60% by 2050. The secretary of state for business John Hutton, who delivered the government's plans in a white paper on nuclear power, said it would be inviting private energy firms to bring proposals to the table for building and maintaining new reactors. However, no planning permission for new nuclear stations has yet been given. It will be very tight to replace existing nuclear stations on time Paul Howarth, Dalton Nuclear Institute Nuclear power plants currently generate about a fifth of the UK's electricity. However, all current nuclear reactors in the UK are expected to close by 2023 apart from Sizewell B in Suffolk, which is set to shut by 2035. With the government also keen to reduce carbon emissions, it now sees building new nuclear-power station as the solution to the country's energy needs. "Every new nuclear power station will save the same amount of carbon emissions that are generated from around one million households," Hutton told MPs in the House of Commons. Government U-turn The go-ahead for new stations is something of a U-turn for the UK government, which said in a previous energy white paper in 2003 that nuclear power was not the answer to growing energy demands. Although a government review of energy in 2006 came out in favour of nuclear power, Gregg Butler, a science-policy expert at the University of Manchester, thinks that the rejection of nuclear in the 2003 white paper has lost the UK valuable time. "I welcome the government's recognition that nuclear energy is part of a mix with other forms of low-carbon electricity generation like wind and hydropower," he says. However, as the member states of the Nuclear Energy Agency warned in a report last November, there is a current worldwide shortage of trained workers who could build and design potential new reactors. The government will therefore have a job on its hands recruiting enough science and engineering graduates into the nuclear sector. Paul Howarth, director of research at the Dalton Nuclear Institute in Manchester, hopes that the government's decision will mean that "nuclear science can now be seen as an attractive prospect for future science graduates". But as it could take around 10 years for new nuclear plants to be commissioned and built, Howarth says that "it will be very tight to replace existing nuclear stations on time". He points out if the government had come out in favour of nuclear power at the time of the last white paper in 2003, then "we would already be at the stage where licences have been approved for new reactors". About the author Michael Banks is News Editor on Physics World * Copyright * Privacy and Cookies Policy * Disclaimer * Terms * IOP Group * Environmental Policy * Home * News * Blog * Multimedia * In depth * Jobs * Events * All content RSS feed * News RSS feed * Blog RSS feed * In depth RSS feed * Multimedia RSS feed * Events RSS feed * Companies RSS feed * Products RSS feed * Become a Facebook fan * Follow us on Twitter Skip to: * Article Content * Channel 4 News Navigation * Channel 4 News Related Content * Channel 4 Navigation * Search Channel 4 __________________________________________________________________ Latest Channel 4 News: Row over Malaysian state's coins 'Four shot at abandoned mine shaft' Rain fails to stop Moscow wildfires Cancer blow for identical twins Need for Afghan progress 'signs' Are you in favour of nuclear power? By Channel 4 News Updated on 10 January 2008 We'd like to hear your views on nuclear power. Do you feel the country needs it, or should we avoid using it? Do you live near an existing station or would you move near one? Please send your thoughts to news@channel4.com and we'll publish them below. 'Nuclear energy seems to me the only answer at this present time.' - Frank Moore Your emails "I feel that the UK should strive to achieve an independent source of power other than gas or oil. We should look to a future away from reliance on Arab oil and Russian gas. Nuclear energy seems to me the only answer at this present time. The political influence wielded by the Arabs and Russians would be considerably lessened, allowing us to progress in a truly democratic fashion, without pressure from them." Frank Moore 'How many people know about the leukaemia clusters?' - Peter Lux "What is the point of asking for peoples views when they do not know the facts about nuclear power? It is never mentioned on the news about the 90 per cent of nuclear waste which is left at the mine and milling sites which have to be secure for 10,000 years. How many people know about the leukaemia clusters - note that your recent report is "exclusive" and if they do, have they read the dubious "blood mixing" theory used to explain it? How many people know that even the Nuclear Industry says that nuclear can only supply base load and we still need other generation which can be easily switched on and off. What about Uranium supplies - are we running out? The Ranger mine reported a 10 per cent increase in Greenhouse gasses in one year due to the mining of poorer ores. Is British Energies Olympic Dam analysis meaningful in anyway since it is mainly a copper mine and Uranium is only mined as a by-product? I am not "anti-nuclear" - I will support it if they can show that a) It is safe and b) It is an effective way to combat climate change. I have not seen anything that convinces me of the two conditions above." Peter Lux, Suffolk 'The future must lie in renewable sources, or any such energy without long-term negative effects on the environment.' - Steven Ardagh "Although nuclear energy is the most practicable of the options, it is a further step in the wrong direction. The future must lie in renewable sources, or any such energy without long-term negative effects on the environment. Politicians need to make ground-breaking decisions to be remembered and re-elected, and this is one area they've promised such decisions. Why not heed their own rhetoric?" Steven Ardagh 'I am in favour of nuclear power as an interim solution because I believe that it is too late for renewable resources to replace current technologies ' - Nick Papillon "Yes, I am in favour of nuclear power as an interim solution because I believe that it is too late for renewable resources to replace current technologies in time to prevent irreversible climate change. However I do not believe that anyone really knows what the future holds. I note the latest German findings about child leukaemia but I also remember the horror stories about living near high tension power lines (which turned out to be complete fiction). Who sponsored the German research and just how 'independent' was it? Would a report saying that there was no evidence of a risk from living near a nuclear site ever have been publicised?" Nick Papillon. 'In all decency we cannot pursue nuclear power ourselves and deny it to others' - Pat Sanchez "I oppose nuclear power because of its dangers. Danger from wholesale radiation contamination leading to a huge death and illness toll resulting from accident (no-one can ever guarantee another won't happen). The same could come from a terrorist attack or sabotage on a plant. Nuclear energy supporters slide over what to do with nuclear waste. The latest fantasy is an underwater repository off Cumbria. But have they not heard of the effects on our coastline of global warming? We mustn't forget too the filthy environmental contamination produced by the mining and milling of uranium, nor the terrible health costs paid by uranium miners and workers. Lastly, we should all oppose nuclear power world wide because of the possibility of proliferation of nuclear weapons. In all decency we cannot pursue nuclear power ourselves and deny it to others. Yet we are spreading world wide the means to make nuclear bombs. No, nuclear power should be abandoned immediately." Yours truly, Pat Sanchez * Send this article by email * Share this article Send this article by email Recipient's email address ____________________ Your name ____________________ Send Share this article * delicious * Digg * Facebook * Google * Newsvine * reddit * StumbleUpon * Twitter More on this story Channel 4 News * Email us: are you in favour of nuclear power? * Nuclear cancer risk 'doubled' * Nuclear power gets green light * Are renewables a viable alternative to nuclear power? 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Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of external websites. __________________________________________________________________ #Start CNN.com CNN.com Video CNN - Technology [RSS] Skip to main content CNN * EDITION: INTERNATIONAL * U.S. * MÉXICO * ARABIC Set edition preference * Sign up * Log in ____________ [btn_search_hp_text.gif]-Submit * Home * Video * World * U.S. * Africa * Asia * Europe * Latin America * Middle East * Business * World Sport * Entertainment * Tech * Travel * iReport Part of complete coverage on Earth's Frontiers [1px.gif] [1px.gif] [1px.gif] [1px.gif] [1px.gif] [1px.gif] Share this on: Mixx Facebook Twitter Digg delicious reddit MySpace StumbleUpon LinkedIn Viadeo Opinion: Nuclear is 'a spanner in the works' Ben Ayliffe is head of Greenpeace UK's nuclear campaign. Ben Ayliffe is head of Greenpeace UK's nuclear campaign. STORY HIGHLIGHTS * Nuclear power offers "too little, too late" says Greenpeace campaigner * Nuclear option is dangerous because disposal of radioactive waste "remains unsolved" * Lack of focus by UK government has meant Britain's renewable industry remains tiny RELATED TOPICS * Nuclear Energy * Greenpeace International Ben Ayliffe is senior nuclear campaigner at Greenpeace UK. He leads the charity's campaign against the construction of nuclear power stations in the UK, as well as promoting energy efficient solutions to climate change. London, England (CNN) -- Nuclear power is inadequate, hugely expensive, unnecessary and dangerous. It is inadequate because it offers too little, too late. At best new nuclear power stations will deliver only a very small emissions reduction at some unspecified point. In the UK, the government's best estimates are that new nuclear power stations will cut our emissions by four percent some time after 2020, yet our binding target is a 34 percent cut, by 2020. On top of this, the track record of the industry in constructing new reactors on-time and to budget is lamentable. The show piece reactor at Olkiluoto-3 in Finland is years behind schedule and has become a byword for engineering incompetence on a grand scale. UK safety regulators openly admit we can expect the same problems were we to try and build them in Britain. And, as is all too common with the construction of nuclear reactors, the Olkiluoto plant has soared over budget and left the parties involved openly squabbling over who's going to foot the substantial additions to the bill. As eminent analyst Tom Burke noted: "There are only two honest answers to the question of how much it costs to build a nuclear power station. These are 'I don't know' and 'I'll tell you when I've built it.' Everything else is a guess." And Citigroup recently said that the costs and risks associated with new nuclear "are so large and variable that individually they could each bring even the largest utility company to its knees financially." And all of this is unnecessary. We can reduce emissions and keep the lights on using better technologies instead. In the next decade meeting our existing renewables and efficiency targets would safely close any "energy gap" we might face and cut emissions, while leaving plenty of potential to expand clean energy solutions like wind, tidal and solar even further later. Nuclear is dangerous because the disposal of radioactive waste remains unsolved and because it increases the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation. No operating high-level waste dump exists anywhere in the world. The site at Yucca Mountain, in the U.S. was recently mothballed by President Barack Obama, whilst Britain's attempts to find a solution have left us with a few boreholes in Cumbria and a public bill for waste storage escalating towards £100bn ($150bn). But there is another danger: the danger of distraction. Clean renewables and energy efficiency technologies are booming in other countries, and could be the cornerstone of a green economic recovery, quickly secure our power and be a springboard for greater emission reductions in future. But despite the UK's abundant wind, waves and engineering skill, lack of government focus and priority means Britain's renewables industry remains tiny. Some see nuclear as an important "tool in the box." It's not. It's a spanner in the works. 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Click here... News > Environment Nuclear power: Divided opinions Tuesday 29 November 2005 Tweet Print Your friend's email address ____________________ Your email address ____________________ Send Reset Note: We do not store your email address(es) but your IP address will be logged to prevent abuse of this feature. Please read our Legal Terms & Policies A A A Email Professor Ian Fells, professor of energy conversion at Newcastle University: "As you look to the future, security of supply is very important, so nuclear is inevitable. We are beginning to realise we need a more mixed energy supply. The rise in gas prices is startling but predictable. If there is no replacement nuclear energy after the stations are closed, by 2020 we will become dependent on importing natural gas from Russia and Nigeria." Bernard Jenkin, Tory energy spokesman: "Ministers should not champion technologies. It's not for ministers to decide whether nuclear is the most effective way of producing electricity without carbon. That is a technical decision which I don't think ministers are qualified to take. Personally I am agnostic, I feel no objections in principle. It can be safe and I don't feel waste is a technically fundamental problem. It's a political problem and been overcome in other countries." Tony Juniper, Friends of the Earth director: "The UK can meet its targets for tackling climate change and maintain fuel security by using clean, safe alternatives already available. But these have been underplayed by the Prime Minister, who has fallen for the nuclear industry's PR campaign. The review must cut through this spin, promote the clean, safe measures we know will meet our needs, and show nuclear power is unnecessary - as well as unsafe and uneconomic." Peter Law, independent MP for Blaenau Gwent, part of the old Welsh coalfield: "I'm not for nuclear power because the consequences of it going wrong are so great, and we cannot afford to have another Chernobyl here. I suppose I have to accept that carbon emissions are lifting the global warming problem, but I think they should look more at tidal sources, like the Severn. There is a lot of water coming down the mountains as well." John Thurso, Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, which includes the Dounreay nuclear power station: "There may be a case for a new generation of civil nuclear power but three issues need to be addressed - the cost, how waste is dealt with and the amount of carbon emissions for each form of energy. Every person you talk to about energy generation seems to be in a camp and puts forward data that favours them." Stephen Tindale, executive director, Greenpeace: "Nuclear power is not the answer to climate change - it's costly, dangerous and a terrorist target. Only three years ago Blair conducted the biggest energy review in 60 years, and concluded that renewable energy and energy efficiency, not nuclear, was the way forward. Another energy review is simply a smokescreen for pushing his enthusiasm for nuclear power. Nuclear power is simply a dangerous red herring in this debate." Tweet Comments More in Environment » Independent Comment Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus News in pictures World news in pictures From the blogs Sixty-eight years after Auschwitz: Why we still remember Gabriella Swerling looks at the history of Holocaust Memorial Day and speaks to a concentration camp... 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Click here... #News » Nuclear safety fears endanger the Government's plans Comments Feed [p?c1=2&c2=6035736&cv=2.0&cj=1] News RSS Feed dcsimg Sunday 27 January 2013 | Blog Feed | All feeds Website of the Telegraph Media Group with breaking news, sport, business, latest UK and world news. Content from the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph newspapers and video from Telegraph TV. ___________________ Submit * Home * News * World * Sport * Finance * Comment * Blogs * Culture * Travel * Life * Fashion * Tech * Dating * Offers * Jobs * Politics * Obits * Education * Earth * Science * Defence * Health * Scotland * Royal * Celebrities * Weird Blogs Home » News » Geoffrey Lean Geoffrey Lean Geoffrey Lean is Britain's longest-serving environmental correspondent, having pioneered reporting on the subject almost 40 years ago. [Geoffrey-Lean_140.jpg] Nuclear safety fears endanger the Government's plans By Geoffrey Lean Last updated: November 27th, 2009 Comment on this Comment on this article This morning's news that the Health and Safety Executive has "significant" safety concerns about the proposed new reactor designs – and so cannot approve them, at least as they stand – provides one more reason for caution over the Government plans for a rapid expansion of nuclear power. It is also deeply embarrassing. One of the reactors' main selling points of the reactors has been that they are supposed to be safer than their predecessors. Indeed, they need to be because they could rapidly release much more radioactivity if there were to be an accident. Past nuclear programmes have been plagued with construction delays and cost overruns, and the new atomic "renaissance" is already running into the same problems over the prototype reactors, of a type planned for Britain, now being built in Finland and France. The regulator's safety concerns increase, at the very least, the risk further of further hold-ups and expense blighting the Government's ambitious plans. It is sensible to keep the nuclear option open, but not to place too much reliance on it, especially if this is at the expense of measures to clean up coal, expand renewables, and – above all – buy time, and save money, by cutting the waste of energy. Recent Posts * Will the warming seas spark a mackerel war? January 23rd, 2013 16:51 Comment on this * Inaugural address: Obama puts climate change back on the agenda January 22nd, 2013 10:15 Comment on this * Going back to the future may change the climate on the high street January 20th, 2013 20:57 Comment on this * Here's something climate scientists got badly wrong January 17th, 2013 11:07 Comment on this * Exaggeration and statistical sleight of hand bedevil the climate change debate January 13th, 2013 17:31 Comment on this Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus OUR NEWS BLOGS * Addiction * Arts and entertainment * Celebrities * Defence * Education * Environment * Health and lifestyle * History * Language * Media * Pictures * Politics * Religion * Royal family * Science * Society * Sport * uk * US politics * World Archives [Select Month__] News bloggers * UK Politics * Benedict Brogan * Iain Martin * Norman Tebbit * Daniel Hannan * James Kirkup * Janet Daley * Dan Hodges * Graeme Archer * David Hughes * Mary Riddell * Andrew Gilligan * Will Heaven * More news * James Delingpole * Damian Thompson * Andrew M Brown * Tom Chivers * Janet Daley * Ed West * Brendan O'Neill * Cristina Odone * Jenny McCartney * Robert Colvile * Geoffrey Lean * Judith Potts * US Politics * Peter Foster * Tim Stanley * Nile Gardiner * Foreign * David Blair * Con Coughlin * Charles Crawford * Rob Crilly News Tags afghanistan Barack Obama BBC Boris Johnson china climate change coalition Conservative Party Conservatives David Cameron david miliband Ed Balls Ed Miliband eu euro european union Eurosceptic General Election 2010 George Osborne global warming gordon brown Hillary Clinton Iran Islam Israel Ken Livingstone labour Labour Party Liberal Democrats Libya Margaret Thatcher Michael Gove Mitt Romney Newt Gingrich NHS Nick Clegg Pope Benedict XVI Sarah Palin Syria tea party tony blair Tories twitter US politics William Hague News Topics * David Cameron * Liberal Democrats * Conservative Party * Labour Party * Barack Obama * Pictures * Defence * Climate Change * Royal Wedding * Religion * China * Afghanistan Back to top * HOME * News * World News * Obituaries * Travel * Health * Jobs * Sport * Football * Cricket * Fantasy Football * Culture * Motoring * Dating * Finance * Personal Finance * Economics * Markets * Fashion * Property * Crossword * Comment * Blogs * My Telegraph * Letters * Technology * Gardening * Telegraph Journalists * Contact Us * Privacy and Cookies * Advertising * Fantasy Football * Tickets * Announcements * Reader Prints * * Follow Us * Apps * Epaper * Expat * Promotions * Subscriber * Syndication © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2013 Terms and Conditions Today's News Archive Style Book Weather Forecast #Mail Online Search publisher Mail Online Science RSS feed * MailOnline - news, sport, celebrity, science and health stories * Home * News * U.S. * Sport * TV&Showbiz * Femail * Health * Science * Money * RightMinds * Coffee Break * Travel * Columnists * Science Home * Pictures * Gadgets Gifts and Toys Store * Login Find a Job M&S Wine Our Papers Feedback Sunday, Jan 27 2013 3PM 5°C 6PM 3°C 5-Day Forecast Nuclear power will save the world, UN scientists claim Last updated at 10:35 30 April 2007 * Comments (0) * Share nuclear plant Salvation?: Scientists believe nuclear power will save the planet Leading scientists are today expected to back a major expansion of nuclear power as a way of saving the world from global warming. Other measures in a United Nations report include the use of GM crops to produce biofuels and the "capture and storage" underground of harmful CO2 gases. More than 2,000 scientists have contributed to the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) report and 400 of them met today in Bangkok to finalise it before publication on Friday. The report is the biggest to study the practical actions that could reduce emissions and its findings will play a key role in Kyoto negotiations which will take place in December. The new report is the third this year by the UN climate panel. An IPCC report in February said it was at least 90 per cent certain that mankind was to blame for global warming and on 6 April it warned of more hunger, droughts and rising seas. "We're moving from two very sobering reports to what we can do about climate change," said Achim Steiner, the head of the UN's environment programme. "And we can do it." As well as plans for more nuclear power, genetically modified biofuels and carbon storage, the report sets out a vision of the future that is a mixture of existing policies, such as energy efficiency and renewable energy from wind and wave farms, and more futuristic ideas for hydrogen car fleets and "intelligent" buildings which can control energy use. In addition, the report makes it clear that both developed countries, including the United States, and developing nations, in particular India and China, will have to play major roles. However, the scientists in Bangkok have already voiced fears that some countries, including China and the US, will say the proposed measures are unrealistic. Michel Petit, a member of the French delegation, said: "Some countries may challenge these figures." The report has also angered environmentalists. Tony Juniper of Friends of the Earth said: "Nuclear reactors are dangerous and land clearance and chemical pesticides and fertilisers used to grow fuel crops can cause huge environmental damage." Print this article Print this article Read later Read later Email to a friend Email to a friend Share this article: * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * Messenger * LinkedIn * Digg it * Newsvine * Fark * Nowpublic * Reddit * * * Print article * Email article Add your comments Comments (0) No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Bing (*) Site ( ) Web Enter search term: ____________________ (Submit) Search * Today's headlines * Most Read * Rooms with a spectacular sea view! 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Liberty Ross 'files for divorce from Rupert Sanders' after affair with Kristen Stewart It's OVER! Liberty Ross files for divorce from Rupert Sanders after affair with Kristen Stewart Married almost ten years M&S L'ÉTÉ M&S Redonnez du peps à votre style! Voir maintentant. more iPhone App Promo GADGET REVIEWS App of the week - Guide the Light (iOS) Available only on iOS from Appynation and Phasic Labs, your aim is to guide beams of light around puzzle-ridden rooms to the correct coloured gem on the wall. * Comments (-) iLuv ReF headphones In the current headphone market, quality sound is not enough. Consumers want both fashion and function, and that's where the iLuv headphones come in. * Comments (-) Tritton Warhead 7.1 (Xbox 360) Beauty, brawn and a blistering sound quality. 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But while RHAs SA950is wont win any beauty awards, their audio output blows away similarly-priced opposition. * Comments (-) Philips Sunrise Simulation wake-up light As winter looms, the thought of getting-up early becomes ever-more unappealing. Thankfully, Philips have developed an affordable, easy-to-use solution. * Comments (-) Michael Hanlon [beacon?pr=41&ca=CAMPAIGNNAME&pl=PLACEMENTNAME&cr=CREATIVENAME&si=SITEN AME&adn=3&tt=3] * Back to top * Navigation * Popular * Home * News * U.S. * Sport * TV&Showbiz * Femail * Health * Science * Money * RightMinds * Coffee Break * Travel * Columnists * Popular searches in sciencetech: * Daily Mail Facebook * Daily Mail Science Twitter * Daily Mail Google+ * Michael Hanlon's Science blog Sitemap Archive Mobile Apps RSS Text-based site Reader Prints Top of page Daily Mail Mail on Sunday This is Network This is London This is Money Metro Jobsite Mail Travel Zoopla.co.uk Prime Location Villa Holidays Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group © Associated Newspapers Ltd Contact us Advertise with us Terms Privacy policy & cookies Cookie regulation logo IFRAME: __bkframe #Mail Online Search publisher Mail Online News RSS feed * MailOnline - news, sport, celebrity, science and health stories * Home * News * U.S. * Sport * TV&Showbiz * Femail * Health * Science * Money * RightMinds * Coffee Break * Travel * Columnists * News Home * Arts * Headlines * Pictures * Most read * News Board * Login Find a Job M&S Wine Our Papers Feedback Sunday, Jan 27 2013 3PM 5°C 6PM 3°C 5-Day Forecast After 500,000 homes are plunged into darkness, Brown prepares to go nuclear By Daily Mail Reporter Last updated at 10:33 AM on 29th May 2008 * Comments (0) * Share * + + + After more than 500,000 homes were plunged into darkness as two major power stations failed, Gordon Brown has given enthusiastic backing for new nuclear plants. The Prime Minister said that with oil prices soaring, it was time to be 'more ambitious' on a new generation of nuclear power stations. His comments came amid claims that Britain faces the danger of repeated blackouts as crumbling power stations suffer a series of failures. Yesterday, thousands of people were still suffering from the effects of the power blackout. Atom power: New reactors are likely to be built at existing nuclear sites such as Sellafield, above Atom power: New reactors are likely to be built at existing nuclear sites such as Sellafield, above On Tuesday, lights dimmed in millions of home and hundreds of thousands of people lost power completely as seven generating units at other power stations broke down too. When the Hunterston nuclear power reactor in Scotland failed yesterday it meant ten of British Energy's 16 nuclear generation units were out of service either for maintenance or through faults. Speaking yesterday Mr Brown said: 'We want to do more to diversify our supply of energy and that's why I think we are pretty clear that we will have to do more than simply replace existing nuclear capability in Britain,' he said 'We will be more ambitious for our plans for nuclear in the future.' The scale of the Government's plans will set it on a collision course with green campaigners and Left-wing Labour MPs. Both are opposed to the move. New atomic stations will offer no quick fix for the looming energy crisis, because reactors take at least ten years to construct. The power plants are most likely to be built on existing nuclear sites which are due to be decommissioned within the next couple of decades. Ministers have identified Hinkley Point, Sizewell, Dungeness and Bradwell, all sites of existing plants, as the most suitable locations. But the Government is now 'open' as to whether more than one reactor could be built on each site, or whether entirely new sites might be needed. Ministers have been persuaded that nuclear power is a cleaner and greener alternative to burning gas, coal and oil. A senior Downing Street source said recent power blackouts and the soaring cost of oil 'make the case for investment in new nuclear power stations all the stronger'. However, major doubts remain over how Britain will deal with the radioactive waste. Energy Secretary John Hutton has promised taxpayers will be protected from the vast cost of decommissioning the material. But groups such as Greenpeace says consumers will have to pay much of the cost of clean-up because energy generators will pass on a large part of what they spend through higher bills. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has said the total charge will be £3billion over 20 years - up from an estimate just two years ago of £56billion. Yesterday there were claims that the cost is set to rise yet further. A senior official at the authority told the BBC the bill would rise by further billions. Jim Morse, a senior director at the authority, said of the projected cost: 'It's a high probability that in the short term it will undoubtedly go up. Asked if the cost increases could run into billions of pounds, Mr Morse said: 'I'm sure it'll be some billions, I really don't know.' A spokesman for the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform suggested that the government accepted that the cost of decommissioning would rise further. 'As the NDA continues its work to establish - for the first time - the scale of the challenge, the assessment of the costs involved will naturally need adjusting,' he said. The spokesman added that the next generation of nuclear power stations would produce less waste and that power generators would have to cover the costs. Robin Oakley, head of Greenpeace's climate and energy campaign, said: 'This looks like nothing more than a clumsy attempt by Brown to talk up British Energy's share price. 'The nuclear industry has had a woeful 24 hours that must be shaking confidence in this outdated technology. 'Unless Brown is about to appoint an alchemist to the Cabinet, nuclear power will do nothing to address any concerns over oil.' MOST READ NEWS * Previous * 1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * Next * kim What do you do if your son is your daughter (or a prodigy,... * Adele Why won't Adele let me see my grandson? 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Bing (*) Site ( ) Web Enter search term: ____________________ (Submit) Search FEMAIL TODAY * Orlando Broom and Miranda Kerr play the perfect parents as they arrive at Los Angeles International Airport with son Flynn on Saturday Proud parents Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr can't stop smiling as they carry son Flynn through airport Little boy looked quite sleepy * Christina Milian on Miami Beach in Florida on Saturday Don't fall out! Christina Milian struggles to contain her curves as she hits Miami Beach in a plunging swimsuit In Miami recording new music and looking good * Back to the 'day job': Celebrity Big Brother winner Rylan Clark kicks off X Factor Live tour in Manchester Back to the 'day job': Celebrity Big Brother winner Rylan Clark kicks off X Factor Live tour in Manchester He'd been sneaking out of house for rehearsals * Awkward! Taylor Swift sings We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together at NRJ Music Awards... with ex Harry Styles in the audience Awkward! Taylor Swift sings We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together at NRJ Music Awards... with ex Harry Styles in the audience Uncomfortable serenade * Cheating allegations: Zayn Malik has reportedly cheated on his Little Mix girlfriend Perrie Edwards with an Australian waitress, who has now come forward to make the claims 'How dare he': One Direction's Zayn Malik 'cheated on Little Mix girlfriend Perrie Edwards with me' waitress claims While Perrie was on tour * Don't cramp my style: Tamara Ecclestone enjoys lavish meal with mother Slavica... but ditches her to go clubbing after Don't cramp my style: Tamara Ecclestone enjoys lavish meal with mother Slavica... but ditches her to go clubbing after Nobu then Movida * Michelle Dockery opted for a stand-out dress at Entertainment pre-Screen Actors Guild Awards party in Los Angeles on Saturday night Standing out from the crowd: Michelle Dockery stuns at Entertainment Weekly party in unusual eye-catching dress Lady Mary at pre-awards party in LA * Anna Friel Fringe benefits: Anna Friel wears a tassel coat for a date night with Rhys Ifans following theatre performance Starring in Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya * Firm friends: Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts arrive at the Producers Guild of America Awards in Beverly Hills Girls' night out: BFFs Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts leave their other halves at home at the PGAs They've been best friends since 14 * v Three's a crowd: Kelly Brook enjoys an evening out with ex Danny Cipriani and BFF Preeya Kalidas They dated for two years before 2010 split * Claims: Following their exit from the CBB house on Friday, Speidi claim they lived in fear of being killed 'We didn't sleep much at all': Speidi claim they lived in fear that their CBB housemates 'would try and kill them in their sleep' Still controversial * Ben Affleck Ben Affleck's Argo run continues as he takes home Motion Picture Prize at the Producers Guild Awards Wife Jennifer Garner went along * That didn't last long! Gary Lineker returns to Twitter just EIGHT days after quitting That didn't last long! Gary Lineker returns to Twitter just EIGHT days after quitting He tweeted: 'Back by no popular demand whatsoever' * Doggone! Make-up free Amanda Seyfried unwinds with her dog before transforming into a red carpet wonder at the PGAs Doggone! Make-up free Amanda Seyfried unwinds with her dog before transforming into a red carpet wonder at the PGAs Smouldered in orange * Anne Hathaway at the 24th Annual Producers Guild Awards Anne Hathaway has a rare fashion misstep with garish floral frock at Producers Guild Awards She usually nails it! * Nigella wows America with her £175 dress Nigella wows America with £175 'wiggle' dress... and sparks sales frenzy at the tiny West Country store where she bought four of them! * Bonding over beauty treatments: Mel B puts her unkempt locks on display as she heads to (much needed) hair appointment with daughter Phoenix Bonding over beauty treatments: Mel B puts her unkempt locks on display as she heads to (much needed) hair appointment with daughter Phoenix * Jessica Alba sizzles in sheer lacy Elie Saab gown at Producer's Guild Awards Sheer-ly stunning! Jessica Alba glitters at Producers Guild Awards in daring Elie Saab gown Devastatingly beautiful in shimmering dress * Magdalena Frackowiak poses for Victoria's Secret Not quite an Angel face! Victoria's Secret model Magdalena Frackowiak snarls at the camera on swimwear photoshoot It's hard work * Back to blonde! January Jones sports short blonde hair as she returns to Los Angeles with son Xander after fronting film Sweetwater at Sundance Back to blonde! January Jones sports short locks as she returns to Los Angeles with baby boy Xander after Sundance Has had darker hair * Beauty and the beach! Naomi Watts looks great as she enjoys family day at the seaside Naomi Watts is a beach beauty as she enjoys family day seaside in Santa Monica Relaxed with her gorgeous two boys * Alyson Hannigan She's already got an eye for fashion: Alyson Hannigan's daughter Satyana wears bright party dress as she joins mum shopping Bright coloured dress * Charlotte Jackson's broken toe hinders her chances to make it into Splash! final... as she's voted out alongside Omid Djalili Charlotte Jackson's broken toe hinders her chances to make it into Splash! final... as she's voted out alongside Omid Djalili Say goodbye! * 'I feel most confident in my relationship': Miley Cyrus chats about putting her fiance first as she strikes racy pose in just a blazer 'I always put my fiance first': Miley Cyrus says partner Liam is more important than music as shestrikes racy pose in just a blazer New album due out * 'I have laughed so much today': Snap-happy Jessie J shares pictures of herself in the studio as she preps her second album 'I have laughed so much today': Snap-happy Jessie J shares pictures of herself in the studio as she preps album number two * From Jack Dawson... to Jack Daniels! Leonardo DiCaprio braves the rain to shoot whiskey advert From Jack Dawson... to Jack Daniels! Leonardo DiCaprio braves the rain to shoot whiskey advert Even he has to pay the rent! * 'Take your shirt off, Adam!' Shirtless Adam Levine gets acting tips from Cameron Diaz and Jerry Seinfeld during his first solo hosting gig on Saturday Night Live 'Take it off!' Adam Levine goes shirtless and proclaims desperate desire to act to Cameron Diaz as he makes his Saturday Night Live debut * Love all! It's the battle of the tennis blondes Love all! It's the battle of the tennis blondes as the girlfriends face a fashion showdown in the stands Jelena Ristic and Kim Sears' style war * Stacy Keibler on her bike for a charity ride Ready to rumble! Former wrestler Stacy Keibler gets her game face on as she hops on an exercise bike to host charity ride Dating George Clooney * Linda Barker 'So flattered': Linda Barker, 51, admits she's stunned by the reaction to her body on Splash! Now she's through to the final! * What charisma! Hugh Jackman sings and dances... at Academy of Music Anniversary Concert and Ball in Philadelphia Hugh Jackman wows a crowd with song and dance for show with the Philadelphia Orchestra Les Mis star was a hit * Brooke Shields at the Garden of Laughs Comedy Benefit in Madison Square Garden, New York Plenty to grin about! Brooke Shields clowns around with false teeth But she looked ready for business in cream blazer and leather trousers * Will the real Katy Perry please stand up? Singer Katy Perry strikes a pose with wax figure at Madame Tussauds in Hollywood Will the real Katy Perry please stand up? Singer strikes a pose with her wax figure at Madame Tussauds Not hard to tell who's who * You're going to need a bigger purse: Kate Hudson has her hands full after manicure That's a sticky situation! Kate Hudson juggles her belongings after getting pampered with a manicure In Los Angeles * Big cover up! Katherine Heigl hides her curves in baggy trousers... as she steps out with husband Josh Kelley Not her best look: Katherine Heigl adds decades to her 34 years with dowdy trousers, flats and cardigan as she steps out with husband Josh Kelley * 'It¿s strange, but I always knew my life was going to be different' 'I know my life is privileged': Natalia Vodianova has the world at her Louboutined feet But she is not taking anything for granted: YOU cover story * Sheepish: Sir Paul says he can't face slaughtering his livestock Macca admits he is too sheepish to kill ageing livestock on his farm Sir Paul McCartney says he keeps sheep on his farm because he can't face slaughtering them * The couple that walks together, stays together: Anne Hathaway and her husband Adam Shulman take a stroll in Los Angeles Newlywed bliss! Anne Hathaway and husband Adam Shulman take a leisurely lovers' stroll in Los Angeles Downtime before Sunday's SAG Awards * Alicia Keys Cut out queen: Alicia Keys is daring in revealing gown as she stuns at the NRJ Music Awards One of the biggest names at the ceremony * Anthony Ogogo 'I'm gutted': Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo pulls out of Splash! after injuring himself... but not before giving one last flash of his trunks Announced the news live * Daniel Radcliffe Daniel Radcliffe is spotted stepping out with a mystery brunette amid rumours he's dating co-star Darke Said to be dating his Kill Your Darlings co-star * 'She's really sick': Jennifer Lawrence suffering from pneumonia as Silver Linings Playbook co-star Jackie Weaver picks up her AACTA Award for best actress 'She's really sick': Jennifer Lawrence suffers pneumonia as Silver Linings Playbook co-star Jackie Weaver picks up award Hoping to recover * burberry MoS Diary: Did Romeo make Cara love Posh? It's a surprise to see model Cara Delevingne ballet dancing in a clip to plug Victoria Beckham's new fashion website * Are Taylor Swift and Harry Styles back together? No it's just their lookalikes posing up together in London Taylor and Harry reunite (well, their lookalikes at least): Swift and Styles' doppelgangers pose up Styles and Swift are set to meet tonight in person * Michael Winner My magical (and often maddening) marriage to Michael Winner: They met when she was 16 - and married a mere 54 years later * Showing her spots: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's leopard-print JFK attire is just perrr-fect Showing her spots: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley looks just purr-fect in leopard print at JFK airport Matches her bobcat kitten Vivienne * He's such a bad boy! Justin Bieber accused of shooting security guard with Nerf gun He's such a bad boy! Justin Bieber accused of shooting security guard with Nerf gun He has been morphing into something of a bad boy in recent months. * Cissy Houston and inset her daughter Whitney 'I forced Whitney into rehab': Singer''s mother tells how she still asks herself: 'Could I have saved her'? Cissy Houston found her daughter's body * The fire within: Lady Gaga goes red as she fights bullying in Las Vegas The fire within: Lady Gaga unveils new redhead look as she fights bullying in Las Vegas Lady Gaga's hair is anything but natural * Skinny Minnie! Keri Russell looks tiny in her peplum top and leather trousers at The Americans screening She's in fighting shape! Keri Russell looks long and lean in head-to-toe leather at screening for new spy series The Americans Plays a sleeper agent * History 'What's up with Michelle's bangs?' Ghost of Martin Luther King, Jr. weighs in on the first lady's coiffure and Beyoncé's lip synch 'Saturday Night Live' skit * Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart at LAX airport in Los Angeles on Saturday What happened to the silver fox? Eric Dane covers his famous salt and pepper hair with a flap cap as he lands in LA with stunning wife Rebecca Gayheart * Kate's not big enough to star in her own film MoS Diary: Kate's not big enough to star in her own film Actress Kate Beckinsale wants Kate Winslet to star in her first movie - wearing a fat suit * She's at it again! Jaimie Alexander steals thunder from Arnold Schwarzenegger in plunging velvet dress... at photo call in Rome for The Last Stand She's got the look! Jaimie Alexander steals thunder from Arnold Schwarzenegger in plunging velvet dress at co-stars' photocall for The Last Stand * Playdate with the kids! Heidi Klum turns day at the park into family affair... and boyfriend Martin Kristen tags along too A family affair! Heidi Klum enjoys a fun day out at the park with her children and boyfriend Martin Kristen Took advantage of the sunshine with her brood * It's not the Arctic! Ali Larter goes overboard with the winter wear on a rainy day in West Hollywood It's not the Arctic! Ali Larter goes overboard with the winter wear on a rainy day in West Hollywood Actress went grocery shopping in the rain * Made up? Spencer and Rylan embrace at the Celebrity Big Brother wrap party Best of frenemies: Rylan Clark and Spencer Pratt put the past behind them as they share a tender hug at Celebrity Big Brother party Let bygones be bygones * Good news: Zac Goldsmith and Alice Rothschild are expecting their first child together MoS Diary: Zac and Alice expecting a baby as their big day looms The couple are preparing for a March wedding * Film director Tim Burton is taking time out of his movie career to spend more time as a dad MoS Diary: Cut! Tim takes time out to look after the children Wife Helena Bonham Carter, said: 'We are trying to be parents, which is a far bigger job' * Morrissey forced to cancel more tour dates as singer, 53, is hospitalised for suspected bladder infection Morrissey forced to cancel more tour dates as singer, 53, is hospitalised for suspected bladder infection Undergoing tests * That's not Abraham Lincoln! Daniel Day-Lewis looks That's not Abraham Lincoln! Daniel Day-Lewis looks nothing like alter-ego at airportlike alter-ego at airport That's not Abraham Lincoln! Daniel Day-Lewis looks nothing like alter-ego at airport Far from an Oscar-worthy appearance * 'Silvio Berlusconi is intelligent and has great willpower,' said Andrea 'I've been to Silvio Berlusconi's house several times - but never to one his bunga-bunga parties': World of Andrea Bocelli Italian tenor worth £40m * She's bewitching! Mila Kunis is spellbinding as she turns Disney villain in new promo photos for Oz the Great and Powerful She's bewitching! Mila Kunis is spellbinding as she turns Disney villain in new promo photos for Oz The Great And Powerful Playing the bad girl * Take Me Out 'Michelle should know what he is like... a cheat': Take Me Out girl's 'secret romance' with Mark Wright Said to have romanced a contestant * Time to get a bodyguard: James Arthur mobbed by fans as he arrives in Manchester for The X Factor Live Tour Time to get a bodyguard: James Arthur mobbed by fans as he arrives in Manchester for The X Factor Live Tour Life turnaround * Katie taking time off from filming Run in Brixton, wearing clothes by fashion graduates from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and the Royal College of Art YOU interview: Katie Leung 'I wasn't sure If I could act again after Harry Potter' Katie Leung nearly walked away after debut in biggest film ever * Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt 'It was all FAKE': Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag reveal they wove a web of lies to get to the CBB final Couple reveal they played panto villains * It's OVER! Liberty Ross 'files for divorce from Rupert Sanders' after affair with Kristen Stewart It's OVER! Liberty Ross files for divorce from Rupert Sanders after affair with Kristen Stewart Married almost ten years DON'T MISS * It's OVER! Liberty Ross 'files for divorce from Rupert Sanders' after affair with Kristen Stewart It's OVER! Liberty Ross 'files for divorce from Rupert Sanders' after affair with Kristen Stewart Married almost ten years * Paris Party? Nightclub? No, just Paris Hilton in a plunging black dress at the airport as she jets off with her toyboy lover Still keen to impress her toyboy lover! * No wonder he's quit Twitter No wonder he's quit Twitter. Gary Lineker, 53, needs all his energy just to keep up with his ambitious (and MUCH younger) wife Can he stay away? * She missed out on performing in last year's Strictly because of a damaged ankle, but stunning dancer Aliona Vilani has shown she is still fighting fit. Strictly sunbathing! Dancer Aliona Vilani shows off her ultra slim bikini body on Miami beach break Missed last year's Strictly due to an injury * Picking up a Happy Meal? Adrienne Maloof and her toy boy lover Sean Stewart have a not so romantic lunch date at McDonald's Picking up a Happy Meal? Adrienne Maloof and her toyboy lover Sean Stewart have a not so romantic lunch date at McDonald's Used to the finer things * New squeeze? Ollie Locke took his new female friend for a night out at Raffles Nightclub in Chelsea Romance in Chelsea: Is this Made In Chelsea's Ollie Locke's new girlfriend? Reality star escorts mystery blonde to club Tanned Ollie looked coy * Simon's lateness is exhausting: Amanda blasts Cowell's timekeeping Amanda Holden slams BGT boss Simon Cowell and reveals she won't be having any more children Admits she 'likes a drink' too much * 'I don't want to do this!' Kim Kardashian yelps as sister Kourtney squirts 'fresh off the boob' breast milk onto her leg in an attempt to heal her psoriasis 'I don't want to do this!' Kim Kardashian yelps as sister Kourtney squirts 'fresh off the boob' breast milk onto her leg in an attempt to heal her psoriasis * 'That is completely false and horrible': Robert Kardashian's widow hits back at Kim and Khloe after they labelled her 'trash' 'That is completely false and horrible': Robert Kardashian's widow hits back at Kim and Khloe after they labelled her 'trash' War of words * Fifty shapes: Kristen James' Sexy Scissors move from her '50 Shapes of Grey' workout Thought the novel was racy? Wait until you try the Fifty shapes of grey workout New York routine is tested by RUBY WARRINGTON * Date night! Julianne Hough is hot to trot in all-black ensemble as she enjoys a romantic dinner with Ryan Seacrest Date night! Julianne Hough is hot to trot in all-black ensemble as she enjoys a romantic dinner with Ryan Seacrest Cute couple * Troubled country star Randy Travis receiving treatment for alcoholism as he records two new albums Troubled country star Randy Travis receiving treatment for alcoholism as he records two new albums Drinking has landed him in trouble in the past * Gorgeous: Miranda Kerr looked spectacular in a very short dress Check out those legs! Miranda Kerr shows why she's one of the world's top models in super-short dress At new Louis Vuitton store in Mexico * Rihanna After THAT see through dress Rihanna does demure... in red leather trousers and tiger trainers From one extreme to another * Toned tum: Maria Fowler had liposuction in December 2012 Where's the rest of your outfit? Maria Fowler steps out in what looks like just a bra and trousers for dinner in sub-zero London One way to chill out * The American singer is rumoured to be going public with her One Direction beau at an awards ceremony in Cannes tonight. Taylor Swift looks happy and carefree as she heads to a boat party in France just hours before rumoured reunion with Harry Styles * Unleash the redhead: Irina Shayk showed off her new look on Twitter on Saturday morning Unleash the redhead: Irina Shayk reveals her fiery new locks Russian model is one of the best known brunettes in the business * She's making strides! Eva Longoria looks ready to step into the political spotlight in a sexy black jumpsuit for sit-down with Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor She's making strides! Eva Longoria ready to step into the political spotlight in a sexy black jumpsuit for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor interview * Pandemonium: Harry Styles looked sad as he arrived in Nice Glum Direction: Harry Styles looks like he has the woes of the world on his shoulders as he lands in Cannes... where Taylor Swift awaits Band flew in together * Natalie Imbruglia attends the 2nd Annual Australian Academy Cinema Television Arts Awards held at the Soho House in West Hollywood, CA She looks Torn! Natalie Imbruglia dons black-and-white dress with strangely stitched-on ruffles at the AACTA Awards Still looked stunning * An emotional Rylan Clark triumphs over Heidi and Spencer to win Celebrity Big Brother CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER 2013 FINAL: Rylan triumphs over Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, aka Speidi to get first place He is 'so emotional' * On stage: Peter Andre dressed up The names Andre... Peter Andre: Singer takes to the stage dressed as James Bond, before morphing in to the Terminator Performed in Liverpool * Amand Seyfried bares all in her upcoming film Lovelace, in which she portrays tragic porn star Linda Lovelace 'I don't mind being naked': Amanda Seyfried says she is comfortable with her daring porn star role in Lovelace The star bares all * Roger Ailes sarah palin You Betcha! Sarah Palin vows to fight on after cutting ties with FOX News Sarah Palin plans to fight on * Lacey Banghard CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER 2013 FINAL: Remember me! Lacey Banghard returns in minuscule red dress... but is Paula Hamilton wearing dressing gown? * Mary Berry recalls horror of polio as a child 'My childhood polio helped me survive the darkest days of my life': Mary Berry reveals how she coped with her son's tragic death * Speidi CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER 2013 FINAL: So the crocodile tears didn't work then: Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag just miss victory after breakdown * 'Heartless and spiteful': Claire Richards admitted she wanted to punch Heidi Montag over letters from home task CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER 2013 FINAL: 'Heartless and spiteful': Claire Richards admitted she wanted to punch Heidi Montag over letters from home task * Good night our: Alexandra Burke looked worse for wear Some-bunny get me a cab! Alexandra Burke leaves Playboy club at 6am looking all partied out and ready for bed The singer's make-up was remarkably intact * geri Spice Girl Geri's new love is an online casino chief from a council flat who is STILL married to a model Anton Kaszubowski has a Russian wife (inset) * It will be alright on the night: The stars of Splash! perfect their dives ahead of live final with Tom Daley in tow It will be alright on the night: The stars of Splash! perfect their dives ahead of live final with Tom Daley in tow Panned by critics but a ratings hit * Nicki Minaj on Jimmy Kimmel 'I wouldn't say I don't like Mariah Carey... but she definitely doesn't like me': Nicki Minaj opens up about catty American Idol feud Told U.S. chat show * Stay dry baby! Ben Affleck shields son Samuel from the rain in Los Angeles... while mom Jennifer Garner runs after their girls across town Ben Affleck puts a tender hand on 11-month-old son's head as they dash through rainy Los Angeles... while mom Jennifer Garner goes solo * Inimitable: Legendary Michael Winner cavorts with friends in Barbados Thank heavens Charles Bronson never found out I slept with his wife: Michael Winner's outrageous life in his own words Died this week aged 77 * Working up an appetite! Christina Milian flashes some serious curves during a beach workout before hitting the streets of Miami Christina Milian flashes some serious curves during a beach workout before hitting the streets of Miami in killer heels Soaking up the sun in South Beach * It's the Fantastic Four! Jessica Alba enjoys outing with Cash Warren and their children It's the Fantastic Four! Jessica Alba enjoys outing with Cash Warren and their children Beautiful family * Is that a toupee or do you have the Bieber fever? Alec Baldwin shows off his full head of hair in Los Angeles Airport Is that a toupee or have you caught Bieber fever? Alec Baldwin shows off full head of hair as he flies in to LA Alec Baldwin let his hair down * It takes some doing! JWoww finally manages to outshine Snooki in bra-baring outfit JWoww manages to upstage Snooki in bra-baring outfit... but faces some fierce competition at RuPaul Drag Race event Eye-popping number * 'We have a very normal, very grounded home': Brad Pitt takes solo flight at LAX...as Angelina Jolie opens up about their family Going solo! Father-of-six Brad Pitt dresses incognito as he jets out of Los Angeles... as Angelina Jolie opens up about their 'grounded' family * Relaxed Kate Moss cracks an easy smile as she poses for new Rag & Bone campaign in her beloved Cotswolds Relaxed Kate Moss cracks an easy smile as she poses in her beloved Cotswolds Stars in the new Rag & Bone ad campaign * That's more like it! Teresa Palmer finally gets her make-up right and wears cute white frock at Warm Bodies screening Teresa Palmer finally gets her make-up right and wears cute white frock at Warm Bodies screening Make-up malfunction earlier this month * Desperately seeking perfection! Eva Longoria does not let rainy weather keep her from the gym Desperately seeking perfection! Eva Longoria refuses to let the wet weather keep her from the gym Keen to keep fit * Legs for days! Paula Patton shows off her killer figure in sheer fit-and-flare LBD at Disconnect premiere Legs for days! Paula Patton shows off her killer figure in sheer fit-and-flare LBD at Disconnect premiere Lit up Santa Barbara Film Festival * Feeling anxious? Another week, another relationship drama for Kim Kardashian The handcuffs are still on: Kris Humphries 'turns down Kim Kardashian's $10million offer to settle divorce' Love's path has not run smooth for Kim * A purr-fect look! Halle Berry dons Catwoman-esque leather trousers as she picks up daughter Nahla A purr-fectly good look! Halle Berry channels her inner Catwoman in leather trousers as she picks up daughter Nahla In a bright mood * Our model makes his way into the icy cold Serpentine lake in London's Hyde Park wearing the £995 'swim suit' The same material as trunks, its makers say it dries in minutes. But... would YOU splash out £995 on the swim suit? 'Savile Row of swimwear' * Pay up! Mom-to-be Kristen Bell sues Hollywood tequila bar for breach of contract Kristen Bell sues Hollywood tequila bar for breach of contract amid claims owners failed to pay her profits after '$20,000 investment' Suing owners of L'Scorpion * Glowing and showing: Jenna Dewan-Tatum and her growing baby bump enjoy a spa day Glowing and showing! Jenna Dewan-Tatum enjoys a well-deserved spa day as she reveals she's having 'hormonal dreams' Married to Channing Tatum * Not looking too confident: Samia Ghadie winces as she rehearses the headbanger with Dancing On Ice partner Sylvain Not looking too confident: Samia Ghadie winces as she rehearses the headbanger with Dancing On Ice partner Sylvain Hopefully she trusts him * Tina Let's stay together? Tina Turner renounces her U.S. citizenship to become Swiss The American rock diva has lived in Kuesnacht since the mid-1990s * Fan: Jan Moir says you haven¿t really lived until you have witnessed Donny and Marie singing in front of a screen showing their younger selves doing the same thing 30 years earlier The night I held hands with Donny: Jan Moir joins ladies of a certain age feverishly reliving their teens Everyone is now 30 years older * 'It was the worst time of my life': Jennifer Lopez reveals she is still struggling to get over her divorce from Marc Anthony 'It was the worst time of my life': Jennifer Lopez reveals she is still struggling to get over her divorce from Marc Anthony Two years on * New daddy: Gerard Pique drops in on his girlfriend Shakira, who has just given birth Shakira's parents visit their new grandson alongside Gerard Pique... as her mother says the 'tears flowed' when baby Milan was born * jess 'All these babies are making me broody!' Call The Midwife star Jessica Raine reveals tiny co-stars have had a huge effect on her Far less prim in real life * Big Bird called, he wants his feathers back! Pregnant Kim Kardashian is in full plume as she shops for more jewels with Kanye West Big Bird called, he wants his feathers back! Pregnant Kim Kardashian is in full plume as she shops for more jewels with Kanye West * Busy Philipps watches the set up for the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California Horizontal stripes suit her! Busy Philipps shows off her burgeoning bump in a fitted dress Expecting her second child * The picture of happiness: Christine Bleakley and fiancé Frank Lampard beam as they enjoy winter stroll The picture of happiness: Christine Bleakley and fiancé Frank Lampard beam as they enjoy winter stroll Two-year engagement but this is wedding year * On the road to recovery: Burt Reynolds, 76, is leaving intensive care after being hospitalised for flu On the road to recovery: Burt Reynolds, 76, is leaving intensive care after being hospitalised for flu On the mend following a stint in intensive care * Abbey Crouch How does she do it! Abbey Crouch even manages to make a pair of dungarees look stylish Eat your heart out, Victoria Beckham * Lookalike Jacob Skelton, 15, has become an internet sensation after a friend posted a photo of him online pointing out his resemblance to the One Direction member 'I had no idea who Harry Styles was and now I get mobbed in the street': Dead-ringer reveals what it's like be mistaken for One Direction heartthrob * vf Could you beat the Duchess of Cambridge to the best dressed spot? Vanity Fair opens up prestigious list to mere mortals * sharon stonensjhshoas Best front forward: Sharon Stone goes bra-less as she steps out for lunch with a friend Known for her body confidence * Style sisters: Rose Byrne and Alicia Keys go for similar panelled turtle-neck dresses for Jonathan Ross Show appearance Style sisters: Rose Byrne and Alicia Keys go for similar panelled turtle-neck dresses for Jonathan Ross Show appearance Similar chic looks * Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z seen fooling around on the set of their new music video Suit and Tie Justin Timberlake lets Jay-Z stand under his umbrella as they film video for Suit & Tie On the comeback trail * Jeremy Renner's ex-girlfriend and 'baby mama' Sonni Pacheco pictured for first time since pregnancy bombshell Jeremy Renner's ex-girlfriend and 'baby mama' Sonni Pacheco pictured for first time since pregnancy bombshell * Another day at the office! Zac Efron goes for coffee with co-stars in between filming scenes for new comedy Are We Officially Dating Another day at the office! Zac Efron goes for coffee with co-stars in between filming scenes for new comedy Are We Officially Dating Plays debauched bachelor * Burt Reynolds has been admitted to hospital with the flu Burt Reynolds in intensive care unit after nasty flu leaves him 'severely dehydrated' Boogie Nights actor, 76, is battling virus, which has swept across US * Flavia Cacace Strictly back to work: Flavia Cacace and Vincent Simone show off in rehearsals as they get set to spice up the stage in Midnight Tango once more * George Clooney's ex Elisabetta Canalis smoulders in stills for saucy lingerie campaign So that's what he saw in her! George Clooney's ex Elisabetta Canalis smoulders in stills for saucy lingerie campaign She's an aspiring actress too * Today's headlines * Most Read * Appaliling loss of life: Firefighters work to douse a fire at the Kiss Club in Santa Maria city, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, where hundreds of people died At least 245 die in Brazilian nightclub fire 'after indoor fireworks display during band performance' * Becky Bell, 7, from Hartlepool, who died of brain cancer. Her distraught parents have been told they will have to pay £650 a year to keep her untouched bedroom when charges for under-occupied homes come into force Family to be charged £650 a year by council for keeping seven-year-old daughter's bedroom as a shrine after... * Concerns: Both pilots claimed before their deaths that they had been poisoned by fumes in the cockpit Two top BA pilots die within days of each other after complaining of long-term health effects of breathing... * Census: The white British population in the capital has plummeted since 2001, while minorities have grown Rise of 'white flight': British families are 'self-segregating' as more Caucasians abandon urban areas for... * ben 'Where's the justice?' Ben Kinsella's family blast £20,000 payout to killer's father over murder hunt raid... * An updated Life in the UK test handbook will go on sale from tomorrow, and in a departure from its politically correct predecessor, the new and somewhat more patriotic version promises to be a celebration of 'what makes Britain great.' Questions on Monty Python, Maggie and Jessica Ennis at heart of new 'patriotic' test on Britishness for... * Emma and Dylan Smith, from Froome in Somerset, (pictured before and after) were shamed into losing the weight after being turned away from a ride at Butlins during a family trip for being too fat. Couple addicted to Burger King and McDonald's lose 17st between them after ditching takeaways * Families should help to feed and wash patients according to a new report to be presented to Jeremy Hunt Patients' families told to 'help nurses feed and wash them' in hospitals by controversial report into... * Iconic: Tony the Tiger celebrated 60 years as the face of Frosties last year Goodbye Tony the Tiger? Huge fall in sales of Kellogg's Frosties as anti-obesity drive kicks in * Not such a bad idea: Include coffee in your daily water allowance Feeling TATTered? (that's Tired All The Time): As one in five say they always feel drained, our experts... * Investment of £100million in new UK branches is under threat following the perceived 'cheap shots' made against the multinational Starbucks deny threat to withhold millions of pounds of investment in Britain after Cameron's 'cheap shots'... * Weather previewWeather preview Downpours and melting snow brings floods across Britain as Environment Agency issues 380 alerts * The climber was scaling Tower Ridge, pictured from the summit of Ben Nevis, when he fell into the gully below Climber, 22, dies after falling 300ft while scaling ridge on Ben Nevis * Miriam Margolyes, 71, pictured, became an Australian citizen yesterday - and marked it by launching a stinging attack on Britain Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes abandons 'snobbish Britain' for Australia * Chao Inside the 'moderately deluxe' £40million life on offer to the suitor who can convince Hong Kong... * Santosh with her five-month-old daughter Radha Father 'chews off his 5-month-old daughter's nose and upper lip because she wouldn't stop crying' * Wilton Park School in Wilton, Wiltshire, closed last week following a Mail on Sunday expose; an Exclusive Brethren class pictured 'Witch-hunt' as exclusive school at centre of cruelty claims shuts its doors * giant squid COMP.jpg The giant is real: How squid scientists captured the elusive Kraken on film for the very first time * Lib Dem MP David Ward has been summoned to meet party enforcers next week to explain the comments about the Holocaust he posted on his website Lib Dem MP FINALLY apologies for 'unintended offence' after suggesting 'the Jews' had not learned the... * Change: Kimberly Reed was born a boy named Paul but now lives as a woman in New York with her girlfriend What do you do if your son is your daughter (or a prodigy, dwarf or mass murderer)? Meet the inspirational... * Worrying: A homemade bomb was found close to where an off duty police officer fired shots, the Police Service of Northern Ireland confirmed tonight Police officer escapes death after 'crude' homemade bomb is thrown into his home in Northern Ireland * Adrian Donohue 'We will shoot you too': Murdered Irish policeman's partner threatened as he ran to help dying detective... * New mom: One year later at the age of 14 Krishna poses with her four-month-old baby Alok alongside her 16-year-old husband inside the living room of their house The life of a child bride: Heartbreaking photographs show 14-year-old's struggle to raise her baby in... * Choice: Aung San Suu Kyi today becomes the first person in the 71-year history of Desert Island Discs to choose a record she has never heard Aung San's Desert Island first: Burmese opposition leader chooses a record she's never heard before * Millie Simpson has such a rare form of brittle bone disease that she broke her bones in the womb every time her mother moved during pregnancy A real-life China doll: Fragile Millie was born with THIRTY broken bones which fractured every time her... * Tony Blair agrees with David Cameron than Europe must reform - but insists Britain must remain in the bloc or face up to an 'extraordinary denial of its own interests' Tony Blair: Europe must change. But most Britons want to stay IN - and now I want to mobilise them * Rules and regulations: Britain has passed more than 400 laws because of the European Union since 2010 - costing £700million Britain has spent £700m passing 400 new Euro rules since coalition came to power * Brigadier Nicky Moffat, 50, pictured, has urged defence chiefs to follow the U.S by lifting a ban on women serving in close combat roles Senior female soldier says Olympics proved women can fight alongside men in combat roles * Brave: Three men pin down a crocodile so they can tie its claws and jaws with plastic ties Brave villagers begin rounding up crocodiles after 15,000 escape South African farm in flooding * American actress Grace Kelly (1929 - 1982) in a lace-trimmed top, circa 1955. 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Click here... * Home * News * Sport * Business * Comment * Arts * Going out * Life & Style * Showbiz * Offers * Homes & Property * Ladder for London Hot Topics Andy Murray EU Prince Harry Heathrow Airport Australian Open Tennis Chelsea F.c. Click here... Click here... Government's energy policy unveiled [PA-N0085091280184695508A] The Government's energy strategy is due to be unveiled Tweet Share Share this article Email this article Print this article 27 July 2010 Energy Secretary Chris Huhne is due to set out the Government's policy to secure the UK's energy supplies in the face of warnings of a potential power crisis. The Government will also publish a series of 2050 "pathways" which suggest how the UK can meet its commitment to reduce emissions by 80% by mid-century while keeping the lights on in the country. Ahead of the first annual energy statement to Parliament, Mr Huhne gave his backing to more wind power, as he said it was vital the UK became more independent in its energy supplies. And while he said there was no public money for nuclear energy, he expected there would be private investment in new nuclear plants. The economy would become increasingly electrified, for example with more electric cars, and it was imperative to have a whole array of power sources in the country to move back from a situation where the UK was dependent on imported fuel supplies, he said. He also said that meeting EU targets to source 15% of all energy, including for heating and transport, from renewables by 2020 was "a stretch", but it was important to provide a guarantee against potential soaring oil and gas prices which damage economic growth. Alongside the statement and 2050 pathways, a online "calculator" will go live, giving people the opportunity to see for themselves how energy demand and supply will need to change as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. Ahead of the energy statement, Graeme Leach, director of policy at business group Institute of Directors, said UK energy policy was not sufficiently focused on mitigating the "very serious risk" of power cuts in the middle of this decade. "The message from business to the new Government is unambiguous - deal with the energy security problem and start dealing with it now," he said. Friends of the Earth's sustainable energy advisor Alan Simpson welcomed Mr Huhne's backing for wind power, but cautioned against new nuclear build and cutting spending on green technology. He said: "When it comes to renewable energy the UK has been in the slow lane for far too long and without urgent action we risk missing our targets for tackling climate change. Unlike nuclear energy, wind power is a clean and safe way of cutting carbon emissions and helping to secure our energy supplies - it will also boost our economy by creating new jobs. The Government should reverse green technology spending cuts and ensure investment is paid for through bonds and loans in a Green Investment Bank." 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Click here... #Mail Online Search publisher Mail Online Science RSS feed * MailOnline - news, sport, celebrity, science and health stories * Home * News * U.S. * Sport * TV&Showbiz * Femail * Health * Science * Money * RightMinds * Coffee Break * Travel * Columnists * Science Home * Pictures * Gadgets Gifts and Toys Store * Login Find a Job M&S Wine Our Papers Feedback Sunday, Jan 27 2013 3PM 5°C 6PM 3°C 5-Day Forecast Safety concerns deal blow to Government's plans to expand nuclear power By Daily Mail Reporter UPDATED: 11:24 GMT, 27 November 2009 * Comments (13) * Share * + + + The Government's plans to expand nuclear power were dealt a blow today after experts raised a raft of safety concerns about two proposed reactors. Health and safety experts said they had identified a 'significant' number of issues over the designs of the French and American reactors set to power a new generation of UK plants in the next decade. In reports out today on the assessment of the French EPR and US AP1000 designs, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said there was a much more 'detailed work' to do before they could be approved for use. Ministers have announced plans for ten new nuclear power stations to help offset the country's carbon emissions. The first is set to be operational by 2018 and, by 2025, nuclear electricity generation could amount to around 40% of new energy provision. SELLAFIELD INQUIRY. G/V OF SELLAFIELD NUCLEAR POWERED FACILITY ON THE CUMBRIAN COAST. . REXMAILPIX. The Sellafield nuclear power plant on the Cumbrian coast. Health and safety experts said they had identified a number of issues over the designs of reactors set to power a new generation of UK plants in the next decade The announcements were coupled with moves aimed at speeding up planning decisions on new energy projects aimed at cutting decisions to one year. The HSE report said of both units: "We have identified a significant number of issues with the safety features of ...that would first have to be progressed. "If these are not progressed satisfactorily then we would not issue a design acceptance confirmation." Among the criticisms raised, experts said there were significant concerns about EPR's proposed architecture, and that improvements were required for 'hazard barriers'. Other issues relating to the reactor's structural integrity were also addressed, with the report saying it was 'too early to say whether they could be resolved solely with additional safety case changes or whether they may result in design modifications being necessary'. The safety case of the AP1000's internal hazards also showed 'significant shortfalls', it was found. The HSE's assessment work is due to be completed within a year and a half, but one industry expert suggested a delay of up to three years was possible. Kevin Allars, a nuclear assessment director at the HSE, highlighted shortages of information about the new reactors from their manufacturers. He said: 'Despite some initial resource shortages in some technical areas, we have made good progress on our assessment and we have identified issues that require further work.' 'We are now at the stage of discussing these issues with the design companies, who are putting in place plans to resolve them. '[If we are to complete (design assessment) by the target date of June 2011, we will need the design companies to work with us proactively and to provide the high quality and timely information we need.' INDUSTRY Nuclear.jpg John Large, a leading nuclear consultant, aired the possibility of the HSE report delaying the designs acceptance by up to three years. He told The Guardian: "The HSE as an independent agency will come under tremendous pressure to push through these designs. 'But if it stands up to (the) government and stops or delays these designs for two or three years until it is satisfied then developers could lose interest and we could fall behind in the queue of countries waiting to build nuclear.' MOST READ NEWS * Previous * 1 * 2 * 3 * 4 * Next * kim What do you do if your son is your daughter (or a prodigy,... * kidman Lonely and desperate, how Grace Kelly tried to escape her... * Adele Why won't Adele let me see my grandson? 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Share this article: * Facebook * Twitter * Google+ * Messenger * LinkedIn * Digg it * Newsvine * Fark * Nowpublic * Reddit * * * Print article * Email article Comments (13) The comments below have been moderated in advance. * Newest * Oldest * Best rated * Worst rated View all As questioned by "Modiwarp" exactly how many French and American units are in operation in the world, and have there been any significant safety issues with them, I am sure that the the people who designed and built both countries reactors are more than qualfied to to have taken into account areas of risk, and have assesed them prior to the building of them. However, as with any Mechanical/Electrical equipment there is always a possibility of failure with components, as has been evidenced in the past, so I wonder what if any worthwhile input the HSE will be able to provide to prevent failure in the future, so any delay in starting construction because of their concerns would appear to be pointless, and as in other major constructions, modifications can be incorperated as work progresses if they are deemed necessary. Perhaps HSE could tell us if the reactors which are presently workng in the country meet the requirements of the assesments they are carrying out on the new reactors. - Frank , central, 27/11/2009 14:55 Click to rate Rating 3 Report abuse When the wind blows the turbines go round, but you cant hear them because of the background noise of the wind. No wind, no sound. The only noise you can hear from nuclear power stations is the moaning and whingeing from the anti-nuclear eco-mentalist brigade. - Dirtpoor , Hardscratch, somerset, 27/11/2009 14:42 Click to rate Rating 9 Report abuse When the wind blows the turbines go round, but you cant hear them because of the background noise of the wind. No wind, no sound. The only noise you can hear from nuclear power stations is the moaning and whingeing from the anti-nuclear eco-mentalist brigade. - Dirtpoor , Hardscratch, somerset, 27/11/2009 14:41 Click to rate Rating 2 Report abuse The Health and Safety Executive should stick to what they are good at - danger from conkers, Christmas trees and ladders. - Richard Mason , London, 27/11/2009 14:39 Click to rate Rating 6 Report abuse Lets get british reactors designed and built by british people. NOT the EU !!!!!!! - stu , birmingham uk, 27/11/2009 14:27 Click to rate Rating 12 Report abuse If the HSE are so good they can pick holes in every design, why dont we get them to design the so called "safe nuclear power station" They obviously have all the experts! - barry , london, 27/11/2009 14:04 Click to rate Rating 15 Report abuse This is so welcome as far as I am concerned. If Chernobyl had happened on this small island of ours we would be wiped out.either right away or later from radiation poisoning. Alternative energy is the future wave, solar and wind power cheap, safe and non polluting. - Marie , Lancs, 27/11/2009 13:41 Click to rate Rating 3 Report abuse to think this country was a world leader in the design of nuclear reactors, for production of electricity , with the worlds best nuclear scientists,and we have to ask the French to design and build them now for us, such lack of long term thinking and investment for the future,our politicians dont seem able to think long enough than the next general election. - DennisFlynn , Crowborough East Sussex, 27/11/2009 13:33 Click to rate Rating 29 Report abuse I hope the people who have been commenting on the "noise" issue from wind turbines take the time to read this story. The HSE are showing that there are very serious concerns about the safety of nuclear plants. Chernobyl and 3 Mile Island showed that when nuclear goes wrong the results can be catastrophic, remembering that the first nuclear accident happened in Cumbria in the 50's and that accident was covered up for years. Also this article shows that the equipment will be built in France or the USA. We will be spending billions on potentially dangerous equipment and not 1 British job will be generated from the manufacture of the equipment. Construction jobs only and they will also probably go to overseas workers based on what happened last summer in power station refurbishments. So much for British jobs for British workers. Let us get rid of this lame-duck, incompetent Government before they commit the UK to spending billions on potentially dangerous nuclear plant. - George , Bury, 27/11/2009 13:33 Click to rate Rating 1 Report abuse The Health and Safety Executive does not possess any experts. Perhaps we can use all of their hot air to drive the wind turbines as they will not produce anything like the electricity required without it. - steve , cleethorpes uk, 27/11/2009 13:05 Click to rate Rating 8 Report abuse The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Bing (*) Site ( ) Web Enter search term: ____________________ (Submit) Search * Today's headlines * Most Read * Rooms with a spectacular sea view! 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Published on Friday 1 April 2005 02:26 • Have your say: email onlinedebate@scotsman.com YES: Brian Wilson Former Labour energy minister YES: Those who see global warming as our great challenge can’t duck the nuclear option JUST a few years ago, there were two imperatives driving energy policy - affordability and security of supply. There is now a third right up there in lights alongside them. It is the need to stop poisoning our atmosphere with carbon emissions and other harmful gases and thereby contributing to the rise of global warming. Either you think global warming is the great challenge of the 21st century or you don’t. If the latter, then all this stuff about renewables and carbon reduction is bunkum. That seems an increasingly eccentric position, but at least it has the merit of consistency. If, on the other hand, you do accept the global warming thesis then all previous bets should be off - including entrenched hostility to nuclear power. That is a nettle which thinking environmentalists such as James Lovelock have been able to grasp. Whatever the problems associated with nuclear power, and they are significant, they are as nothing compared to the threat of global warming. Ergo, if nuclear power is part of the solution to the greater problem, then being against it without regard to the transformed context of the debate is not only inconsistent but irresponsible. At present, Britain gets about 24 per cent of electricity from nuclear power. The figure in Scotland is, of course, double that. Any debate about whether such reliance was desirable is pass. The fact is that it exists and will shortly go into decline. In other words, at the very moment when there is an historic emphasis on increasing the supply of carbon-free electricity, we may be about to countenance the steady erosion of the one significant source of the stuff that we’ve actually got. To put it another way, everything we do on renewables for at least the next 20 years is - in carbon-reduction terms - only going to replace the nuclear power we are wishing away. But what are we doing on renewables? I think I have a reasonable record of matching words with actions. But I am weary of constant battles to build even the smallest hydro station, or the best-located wind farm, or even the most technically innovative biomass plant. And I have nothing but contempt for those who talk big on renewables targets as a conscience-salving therapy, the function of which is to wish away more difficult decisions but do nothing to actually stand up for the projects which would bring such targets into even remote proximity to reality. What leadership for instance has Charles Kennedy ever shown over the case for the Highlands and Islands becoming a major location for renewable energy? Not an iota. Being anti-nuclear is the easy bit. But what are they actually in favour of? When I challenged the Lib Dem spokesman recently on what energy mix they favour for Britain, he replied that they did not have a policy but "a direction" on the matter. Or maybe two directions - or, more probably, one for each constituency. In fact, the direction will determine itself unless there is some serious political intervention. Nuclear will run down. Coal will decline. Renewables will increase but not on anything like the scale required to fill the gap - bear in mind the two longer-established imperatives of affordability and security of supply as well as project-failure. So what’s left but gas in ever-increasing proportions? Government projections envisage 70 per cent of our electricity coming from gas by 2020. The problem is that, with the North Sea in decline, 90 per cent of that gas would be imported. That is the other major contextual shift that has to be considered before nuclear is ruled out. The market will undoubtedly supply us with a great deal of gas - from Algeria and Azerbaijan, Qatar and Trinidad. But we will not be the only buyers in the market and experience shows, even in present-day circumstances, gas is peculiarly volatile to massive price spikes, particularly once the word inter-connector enters the equation. The case for nuclear is not yet conclusive - though 28 countries in the world have decided differently and are going ahead with new-build. I recognise that progress will have to be demonstrated on the disposal of waste, though this is by no means a technological show-stopper. Someone will also have to want to build them, so the economics (based on consistency of reactor design and a sensible price for electricity) will have to stack up. But Scotland would be inordinately foolish to opt out of that necessary debate, given our current nuclear dependence, the jobs and skills that depend on it, and the world-wide movement towards nuclear power being driven by the global warming agenda. Renewables, gas, clean coal and nuclear all have their part to play in an energy mix that can satisfy the three classic criteria - security of supply, affordability and the drive against global warming. • Brian Wilson is Labour MP for Cunninghame North and was minister for energy from 2002-3. NO: Alistair Carmichael LibDem MP for Orkney and Shetland NO: Don’t accept the myth - nuclear power isn’t a clean and carbon-free energy source THE publication by the Scottish affairs select committee of its report on meeting Scotland’s future energy needs last week brought a timely reminder of the power of spin. At one stage, I re-read the report to check I had not missed something. The committee called for "an audit of energy resources that are currently available, and then to use that as the basis to work out the energy requirements that will be needed in the future". Not quite as catchy as "MPs to urge Scots nuclear option". The nuclear lobby had clearly done a great job in spinning the report ahead of publication. Scotland’s future energy mix is a vitally important issue. It is a complex debate where some myths are repeated so frequently they are often accepted as facts. The most frequently pedalled myth goes something like this; climate change is the biggest threat facing this world and nuclear power offers a clean source of energy which will help cut carbon emissions. It is difficult to challenge the premise - climate change is indeed the biggest threat facing the world. My problem is with the conclusion - that nuclear power is a clean power. The generation of nuclear waste materials, the disposal of which remains an unresolved problem, should give the lie to that. In fact, nuclear power is not a carbon-free source of energy. If you take the whole life-cycle of nuclear power, emissions from uranium mining and constructing and decommissioning sites must be taken into account. Of course climate change requires international action. If the pro-nuclear argument is taken to its logical conclusion then to tackle climate change we should promote nuclear technologies to developing nations. This would aid any nuclear arms programmes these countries may have and result in thousands of nuclear power stations across the globe each producing highly dangerous waste. A recipe for a cleaner and safer world? I think not. The defence of nuclear power on environmental grounds would be laughable were it not for the fact that some take it so seriously. Reliance on nuclear power for non-carbon energy is lazy, sloppy thinking. In environmental terms it is a jump out of the frying pan into the fire. The crux of the problem for the nuclear industry is that it has simply failed to explain how it will deal with nuclear waste. Safely decommissioning existing nuclear power stations will cost an estimated 48 billion. If the government in Westminster is serious about the development of non-carbon energy sources, then instead of throwing money at nuclear power stations, it should put more money into the development of renewable sources such as wind, wave and tidal power and the promotion of energy efficiency. The second myth is that unless we have more nuclear power stations in Scotland, the lights will start going out. Why couldn’t we build combined gas cycle power stations instead? The answer from the nuclear lobby is that it is too dangerous to depend on imported gas. Never mind the fact the rest of Europe has done so for years or that the entire US economy depends on imported oil. Scotland apparently is different. At the drop of a hat, those pesky Russians will cut off our gas supply. Scottish-Russian animosity stretches back a long way and at long last they will be able to exact revenge for... answers on a postcard please. Gas need not only come from Russia. I was present at the ONS Exhibition in Stavanger in 2002 when Brian Wilson, then energy minister, signed an accord with his Norwegian opposite number agreeing in principle the importation into the UK of Norwegian gas. Why has the government not concluded that deal? Even the nuclear spin-meisters would be pushed to portray Norway as an unstable or hostile nation. From this month, the UK will for the first time be a single electricity network. Scotland already generates more electricity than it requires so the question really ought to be: do we want more nuclear power stations in Scotland so there is less pressure in England to generate electricity? In Scotland of course Lib Dems are part of the Executive. While energy policy is a reserved matter, planning is devolved. Let there be no doubt: Scottish Liberal Democrats oppose the development of more nuclear power stations in Scotland. The partnership agreement states: "We will not support the further development of nuclear power stations while waste management issues remain unresolved." When I hear Labour politicians extolling the virtues of nuclear power I often think the lights are on but no-one is home. Fortunately, with investment by the Executive in a range of renewable energy sources, the lights will be staying on in all of Scotland’s homes, even those occupied by Labour MPs. • Alistair Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland, is the Scottish Liberal Democrat energy spokesman. Your views The nuclear cost We can’t afford to support another nuclear plant. Torness is losing millions every quarter as it struggles to buy itself out of a deep hole. Wind turbines on their own are not the answer. One of the best ways to lessen the need for these is to ensure all buildings have some capacity to generate their own energy through renewables - solar, heat pumps, wind, hydro - and let’s also make sure all new buildings are well insulated. RON MOULD Fife Wind can't go alone Britain needs a safe and reliable mix of base load power generation and this must be continued into our future. Nuclear energy has a good safety record in the UK and is free from carbon emissions. Volumes of spent fuel are relatively small in size and methods of safe storage and reprocessing have and will be secured. A large part of Scotland’s electricity is already nuclear-generated. Wind generators only have a very limited contribution to make to electricity generation. They take up large areas of land for minor amounts of electricity generated, in areas scenically important, require expensive and unsightly transmission towers to centres of population and are an unreliable source of continuous generation. Decisions on building and replacement of nuclear power plants need to be taken in the near future. DONALD MATHESON Only real option Half Scotland’s electricity is currently generated by Hunterston and Torness nuclear stations. Within about ten years, both will have reached the end of their economic lives and will be shut down. Where then will our electricity supplies come from? 1 Gas: We are now a net importer and much of our future supply must come from volatile countries. Prices are sure to escalate. 2 Oil: North Sea and world supplies are past their peak and prices can be expected to continue their upward trend. 3 Coal: We have reserves but extraction will become more unpopular as most will be by opencast methods. 4 All these fossil fuels produce greenhouse gas emissions and will cause problems with global warming and Kyoto. 5 Hydro: Scotland has exploited most of the economic sites and, in any case, this can only meet around 10 per cent of our needs. 6 Wind: This subsidised, expensive form of generation is environmentally damaging and unreliable. 7 Wave and tide: Probably has a limited contribution to make but considerable research and development needed. 8 Nuclear: Replacing existing nuclear generation capacity is necessary for us to maintain the status quo. For us to meet Kyoto requirements means a programme of nuclear power station construction to give Scotland even greater capacity. The conclusions are unavoidable; we must go for significant new nuclear construction - soon. DAVID REEKS Cedar Place, Strathaven Makes no sense Arguments against nuclear power are probably the same as they have been for years. I’m no economist but I can see there is absolutely no point replacing old decrepit stations, which have cracked and leaking reactors, with newer ones. Surely the same could happen? Scotland has a responsibility to protect ourselves and our beautiful countryside/wildlife. The only realistic way to do this is to throw out those lame, archaic, filthy ideas and maintain our resolve. I’d accept the potential "eyesore" of wind/wave power. At least that way we will still have a countryside/country, instead of an accidentally radiated, dead, poisonous environment. I cannot see any pros in building a new reactor, we’d still have to get rid of waste (which no-one wants) and pay through the nose to buy in the uranium. It doesn’t make sense. NICO TOOZE ScottishPower silent I know when nuclear stations are due to close, but does anyone know when Cockenzie and Longannet will be shut down? If they were still in the public sector, I suspect their replacements would have been built by now. The silence from ScottishPower is deafening; unless it involves new wind projects, are they happy to let nuclear stations do the "base load" work while they reap the rewards from the "peak time" gravy train? DUNCAN BRYCELAND Too expensive I find it quite shocking how the nuclear industry is manipulating the climate debate in an attempt to resurrect itself. Nuclear power is a phenomenally expensive way of generating electricity, even more so once the (still unresolved) costs of waste disposal are factored in. In addition, the risks of nuclear power are many orders of magnitude greater than for other technologies. The current level of energy wastage is amazing - even the most basic energy efficiency measures are ignored and there is huge potential to achieve substantial reductions in energy consumption. If a fraction of the money which has gone into nuclear power research was directed into energy efficiency diverse range of alternative technologies, we would really be on our way to a more sustainable future. MICHAEL WARHURST Boston, US (former resident of Glasgow and Edinburgh) Look to alternatives The problems with nuclear power stations using current technology are that they are: • expensive to build • cannot be built quickly enough to fill the projected shortages in our energy needs • come with risks of explosion, meltdown and contamination • produce waste products that have to be stored for hundreds of years before they are safe. Rather than start building nuclear power stations again, we have to look for alternative, clean sources of power AND take some serious steps to reduce energy consumption. KATHARINE TAYLOR Plants are safe Modern nuclear power plants are absolutely safe and cannot melt down. To restrict the nuclear debate to Scottish power generation is selfishness; nuclear desalination plants could solve water shortage problems in many parts of the world and help cure drought and disease. Let’s start nuclear development now. ALAN CLAYTON Strachur, Argyll Dirty and ineffective As a Green, I am against the idea of building new nuclear power stations. It is a thoughtless, ineffective, dirty way of producing energy with nuclear waste lying around for hundreds of thousands of years AND nobody knows how to seriously dispose of it. Renewables and energy efficiency has to be the only way forward. The Scottish Executive’s own figures (2001) show that Scotland’s renewable capacity is around six times Scotland’s annual electricity requirement, leaving enough spare capacity to power most of England as well. So on behalf of myself and my family, both old and young, I say NO to building more nuclear power stations. HEATHER JAMESON Newton Stewart Long-term questions No! We have no idea of the long-term implications of the waste created by nuclear power. Why not have an energy supply based on renewable resources, wind, wave, solar and biomass? RACHEL AVERY Nuclear lie It is a lie to say the nuclear power industry generates no climate-changing emissions. Carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, is produced by uranium mining, milling and enrichment, fuel fabrication, reactor construction, spent fuel and waste storage and disposal. Most nuclear supporters conveniently forget these facts when promoting nuclear as a solution to climate change. Research on the impact of building and operating reactors concluded they would produce around 50 per cent more greenhouse gas emissions than wind power. 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Log in Register Welcome Change profile Log out Welcome Log out * Find it * Jobs * Property * Motors * Announcements * You are here * Business SWTS.business.image.e 'Economic flaws' in SNP opposition to nuclear power Published on Saturday 18 April 2009 14:08 JUST as Gordon Brown was preparing to play host to his old adversary Alex Salmond at the most high-powered dinner party North Queensferry will have witnessed, a long-running disagreement between their respective parties was moving up a gear, writes Rosemary Gallagher. Last Wednesday night, Brown invited Salmond and other Scottish political heavyweights to his Fife home for a soire with a serious undertone. They came together round the table to share views on how the Scottish economy could be given the boost it badly needs to lead it out of recession. However, the amicable gathering was overshadowed by the ongoing disagreement between the SNP and the UK Government on whether nuclear power has a role to play in guaranteeing the country's energy supply. The SNP administration's opposition to building any new nuclear power plants in Scotland is one of its key policies. It wants to focus its attention on helping develop the country's renewable energy industry. In the other corner, the UK Government last Wednesday released a list of 11 sites in England and Wales where nuclear powers stations could be built. They will stretch from Braystones in Cumbria to Hinkley Point in Somerset to Wylfa in North Wales. On Thursday, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband travelled north of the Border to tell Salmond that he is putting jobs and investment under threat in Scotland by his refusal to budge on his long-standing anti-nuclear power policy. However, Salmond is holding firm. A spokesman says: "The view of the Scottish Government and indeed Scotland's Parliament as a whole on nuclear is absolutely clear. Scotland simply doesn't want or need dangerous and unnecessary new nuclear power stations, with soaring decommissioning costs and the unresolved problem of storage of radioactive waste that burdens future generations for thousands of years." So can Scotland meet its power needs without new nuclear plants and continue to be a net exporter of energy? And will Scotland's economy be battered further by an absence of investment in nuclear? The UK Government is adamant there is a pressing need to explore all the options available to close a looming power "generation gap" because many existing nuclear and coal-fired stations are set to shut down. Meanwhile, the Scottish Government says it is on target to meet its target of the country generating 50% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020. The SNP administration has ruled out any new nuclear power stations in Scotland after the closure of the country's two existing plants at Hunterston and Torness. It has argued the case of renewables, saying that Scotland has around a quarter of Europe's wave and tidal energy potential as well as big opportunities in wind power. It also recently announced plans to create 16,000 green energy-related jobs in Scotland over the next decade. Most commentators, even trade body Scottish Renewables, believe that green energy must be part of a wider portfolio of power sources. In an interview with Scotland on Sunday, Jason Ormiston, chief executive of Scottish Renewables, said: "The vision we have is of a number of generating technologies operating together where the weaknesses of each are balanced by the strengths of others. I like to think of it as a football team, where the whole is better than the sum of the parts." The widely held view, outside the Scottish Government, is that renewables cannot meet Scotland's energy needs in isolation and this issue must be addressed now. McKinnon & Clarke, an energy consultancy, has called for the SNP to consider nuclear power as part of the country's energy mix. David Hunter, analyst for McKinnon & Clarke, says: "In an ideal world, renewable energy would form the basis for Scotland's energy needs but the reality is it can only deliver a portion of the country's requirements and even at that, it is unpredictable." Hunter warns that Scotland's coal-fired and nuclear power stations are due to be decommissioned without a clear strategy for replacing them. Cockenzie coal-fired station closes in 2015; Hunterston nuclear plant in 2016; Longannet coal-fired station in 2020; Torness nuclear reactor in 2023 and Peterhead gas-fired station two years later. With coal producing 32.7% of Scotland's electricity, nuclear 26.4% and renewables, including hydro, only 13%, there is a long way to go before the Scottish Government hits its target of 50% of the country's electricity coming from renewable sources by 2020. Hunter says: "The reality is that building nuclear power stations is good for jobs. Building one new station can create up to 9,000 jobs. "Building nuclear power stations would have a number of economic benefits for Scotland. It shouldn't be an issue of either nuclear or renewables. There should be a combination of both," he says. Technically, it is dangerous to rely on renewables. "Wind and tidal energy sources are subject to factors outwith anyone's control and as a result the country needs a reliable fallback option," says Hunter. He says the option of extending the life of existing nuclear power plants is limited as they become less efficient with age. Some older plants in the UK have experienced "outages" lasting up to a year. It is not just the economy that the SNP should be considering when it comes to its views on nuclear, but also the impact on climate change. Grant Hodges, partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, says all forms of energy, such as nuclear, tidal and wave and wind power, must be adopted to reduce Scotland's carbon footprint. According to Hodges it would be hypocritical for Scotland to refuse to build nuclear plants and then import nuclear power generated in England and overseas to meet its power needs. * * Email to a friend Email to a friend * Print this page Print this page Top stories * City ‘will keep trade flowing’ if UK splits * Revamped tourism body targets links to other sectors of economy * ‘Guinea pig’ bank ready for launch * Local suppliers the safest bet for renewable energy * Profit warnings hit 2008 level Business * Banking * Insurance * Economics * Energy and Utilities * Retail * Food, Drink and Agriculture * Transport * Industry * Technology * Management * Market Reports * Media and Leisure * Interviews * Opinion * Personal Finance * Special reports * Business Briefing * Business Player Dynamic Dart Advertisement * Popular * Most comments * Most shared * X-rated ’sandwich van’ workplace emails go viral * Rangers have route into English football by suing FA * Commuters face chaos as temperatures set to plummet * School will launch investigation into M9 death * Stuart Hall charged with rape and assaults * Salmond in appeal to UK over Scots EU membership * Rangers’ Charles Green reveals Ibrox development plans * ‘Yes’ vote means more power, says Nicola Sturgeon * UK referendum on EU could ‘damage’ Scotland * Rangers 1 - 1 Montrose: Rangers blow chance to extend lead * Wanted: New Scottish Government PR guru after Andrew Baird jumps ship * Cross Purposes: Anne Rice interview * McGuinness's chilling threat * Onesie wearing Shetland ponies back tourism drive * Cowal Highland Gathering future in doubt Find It Search for: (Plumber, Taxi, McDonalds...) ____________________ Where? 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Log in Register Welcome Change profile Log out Welcome Log out * Find it * Jobs * Property * Motors * Announcements * You are here * Business SWTS.business.image.e Case for nuclear power hit by security fears Published on Sunday 11 November 2001 00:00 THE first findings of the government taskforce charged with solving Britain’s energy quandary will land on the desk of energy minister Brian Wilson within the next fortnight. His mission: to replace the electricity generated by Britain’s ageing nuclear reactors without breaching the government’s Kyoto commitments on greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear power provides around a quarter of Britain’s energy needs, with gas and coal generating 40% and 30% respectively. Renewables, such as wind power, make up a paltry 4%. But over the next 25 years, all bar one of the country’s nuclear reactors will be decommissioned. The Cabinet-appointed Performance and Innovation Unit (PIU) is drafting its proposals to the government on how to bridge the ‘nuclear hole’. The nuclear lobby had been confident, with Wilson’s pro-nuclear stance well documented, that the energy review would back a 10bn building programme for a new fleet of nuclear reactors. But a source close to the unit says the attacks in the US have forced it to rethink its plans. "The 11th September has increased uncertainty in the business community," he said. "The City isn’t sure if it wants to finance a costly programme to build new nuclear power stations while the threat of further terrorist attacks continues." When Britain’s fleet of reactors was built, the threat of hijacked airliners being deliberately directed on to reactors was not considered a serious possibility. British Energy and state-run nuclear operator BNFL have since installed extra safety precautions - but far from assuaging public fears, the extra measures have merely heightened anxiety over nuclear safety. The government could decide that now is not a good time to press ahead plans for the rebuilding programme when fears of further terrorist action are so high. Nuclear power also represents an economic risk. Last month the PIU issued forecasts predicting that nuclear generation would remain uneconomic unless electricity prices rose or the industry received state help. But the City - especially in the light of the debacle over the funding of another formerly state-run industry, the railways - may be more reluctant to underwrite the building programme when government policy can be so fickle. The source added: "The City is also put off by the long lead times between the planning stage and completion of reactors - anything up to 10 years. "Financiers are acutely aware that this could cut across two governments - and a lot can happen between financing and completion." British Energy has made its views on energy policy for the next 50 years clear. In its submission to the energy review - titled ‘Replacing nuclear with nuclear’ - it asks the government to "set the framework" on nuclear power, arguing that current market forces cannot make it economic. It admitted last week, when it announced six-month losses of 17m, that operating nuclear power in the UK could only become profitable with government help. It argues that since nuclear power does not produce carbon emissions, it should be treated as a renewable source of energy with the government obliging electricity suppliers to take a proportion of their power from nuclear generators. The government is committed to generating 10% of its electricity through renewable sources. The company’s chairman, Robin Jeffrey, also wants businesses using nuclear power to be exempted from the Climate Change Levy, a tax on industry use of energy, which does not distinguish between carbon polluters and nuclear power. British Energy also wants the government to take on its 2.8bn liabilities for decommissioning and renegotiate its annual 300m contract with BNFL to reprocess its spent fuel - a contract signed before privatisation, which it says is too expensive. It insists that it can raise the estimated 10bn needed for the new build through debt and equity. But first the company would have to beat off opposition from state-owned nuclear operator BNFL, through its US nuclear design and services subsidiary Westinghouse, to win any contract. Analysts say lenders and investors would need assurances from the government that would make nuclear power a profitable business in the UK for either company. But if nuclear power is not an option, gas has become a less attractive alternative politically. Gas production from the North Sea is declining and will make Britain a net importer. The war in Afghanistan and fears it could lead to a repeat of the 1970s oil crisis have made security of energy supply a more pressing political concern. Unsurprisingly, this has been denied by gas companies. Recently an executive from BG Group, formerly British Gas, said advisers to Tony Blair had indicated the government was rethinking its stance on nuclear energy. "They said they were looking at gas again," he said, adding that the security of supply argument was a red herring, as Britain had been importing basic essentials - including energy - for years, and could easily import gas from more stable countries like Norway. The feeling is that at present the pendulum has swung in favour of renewables. Last week electricity and gas supplier Scottish and Southern put aside 250m to refurbish existing hydroelectric plants in Scotland and 200m to invest on green energy schemes. This summer, Shell said it would invest up to 1bn worldwide in renewable energy, with a large proportion expected to be invested in Britain. But the energy review, which had been due for publication before Christmas but is now expected some time in the new year, is the first step in a long process which will eventually end in a green paper and then a white paper. "There will be a lot of bites at the cherry," the source said. "There has been a shift in attitude on renewables, there is no doubt. There has been a much more positive view on the scale and framework for the building of renewable energy sources, especially from hard-nosed utilities like Scottish and Southern. "What has changed is that in the last year or so, big players like Shell and BP are now seriously looking at the option of renewables." He said it was likely the government would probably class nuclear power as a renewable source of energy but might not extend any further subsidies. "People should see a level playing field created between nuclear and renewables like wind power. Both need millions of pounds of investment. The government will wait and see which one the market backs. In the next five or so years the nuclear lobby and utility companies will be jockeying for investment. 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Home» 2. Finance» 3. News by Sector» 4. Energy CBI calls for rise in UK's nuclear energy spending Britain needs to reduce its emphasis on renewables and increase its investment in nuclear energy or risk a system "not fit for purpose" by 2030, according to the CBI. Sellafield - CBI calls for rise in UK's nuclear energy spending Sellafield Nuclear power plant in Cumbria By Rowena Mason 12:05AM BST 13 Jul 2009 Comments Comments A new report by consultants McKinsey, commissioned by the CBI, says failure to act could result in electricity prices for both industry and consumers rising 30pc by 2030. It gives warning ahead of the Government's renewable energy strategy and White Paper on low-carbon economy, due to be published this week, that the current plans do not go far enough to maintain energy security, stop price volatility or hit climate change targets. The study calls for the Government to change the energy mix within the next 12-15 months. Its suggestions include raising nuclear spend by £15bn and carbon capture by £7bn, while cutting investment in expensive gas projects by £11bn and wind by £12bn. The Government's "overly ambitious" targets on renewable energy generation ought to be offset by nuclear, the report says, "which is likely to produce equivalent low carbon electricity for lower investment cost". The business lobby group argues that this alternative path will lead to an 83pc reduction in carbon emissions compared with a projected drop under the Government's plans of just 64pc by 2030. Related Articles * Taxes rises and spending cuts needed to rescue public finances 13 Jul 2009 "This is last chance saloon stuff," said John Cridland, deputy director-general of the CBI. "It's all about things that need to be done within the next 12 to 15 months. Delay or risk of delay on energy is probably the biggest single concern business has got." The CBI's recommended policy changes include tighter energy efficiency standards and incentives, such as an accelerated roll-out of smart meters; a lower renewable energy target for 2020 dropped from 32pc to 25pc; and accelerated investment in the energy grid. "The CBI's report is a very good piece of work," said Steve Holliday, the National Grid chief executive. "There is no difference in the cost of implementing its model, but its carbon reduction is greater and there's a better energy mix." The report comes as the Government prepares to say that £100bn must be spent on wind, solar and other alternatives by 2020. This ambitious projection follows an agreement by G8 nations to cut carbon dioxide emissions in each country by 80pc by 2050. Research from Inenco, the UK's largest energy consultancy, today predicts that hitting these targets will cost the UK up to £1 trillion. "If you think about de-carbonising electricity generation, making all transport run in a low carbon way and ripping out all gas heating systems to replace them with alternatives, you're looking at a huge bill," said Ian Parrett, an energy analyst at Inenco. Energy * Finance » * Utilities » * Business Latest News » * Earth News » * Nuclear Power » In Finance » Top 10 coolest offices in the UK George Osborne argued that Geoffrey Howe 'did not give up, but pressed on and overcame’, while Anthony Barber 'buckled and gave up’. Now the Chancellor is in Barber’s camp - Autumn Statement: The day the Chancellor reneged on his promise Autumn Statement: family tax bombshell over new black hole In Energy Radiator valve How to avoid high energy bills Electricity pylon and gas ring Ofgem wants to force energy suppliers to offer cheapest tariff Find the cheapest gas and electricity prices near you Hitachi's £700m Horizon nuclear deal to create up to 12,000 British jobs Hitachi unveils £20bn UK nuclear plan A SMALL CHILD STANDS BY OLD TEXACO OIL BARRELS NEAR THE TOWN OF SHUSHUFINDI, SUCUMBIOS, ECUADOR. Argentina told to seize $19.2bn from Chevron Advertisement telegraphuk Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. blog comments powered by Disqus Advertisement Advertisement Finance Most Viewed * TODAY * PAST WEEK * PAST MONTH 1. Carney to put growth top of list 2. easyJet chair to stand down ahead of entry to FTSE 100 3. Cumbrians to vote on radioactive waste dump 4. 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He may even have underestimated, because, since he spoke, new evidence of climate change suggests it could be even more serious, and the greatest danger that civilisation has faced so far. Sir David King, the Government's chief scientist, was far-sighted to say that global warming is a more serious threat than terrorism. He may even have underestimated, because, since he spoke, new evidence of climate change suggests it could be even more serious, and the greatest danger that civilisation has faced so far. Most of us are aware of some degree of warming; winters are warmer and spring comes earlier. But in the Arctic, warming is more than twice as great as here in Europe and in summertime, torrents of melt water now plunge from Greenland's kilometre-high glaciers. The complete dissolution of Greenland's icy mountains will take time, but by then the sea will have risen seven metres, enough to make uninhabitable all of the low lying coastal cities of the world, including London, Venice, Calcutta, New York and Tokyo. Even a two metre rise is enough to put most of southern Florida under water. The floating ice of the Arctic Ocean is even more vulnerable to warming; in 30 years, its white reflecting ice, the area of the US, may become dark sea that absorbs the warmth of summer sunlight, and further hastens the end of the Greenland ice. The North Pole, goal of so many explorers, will then be no more than a point on the ocean surface. Not only the Arctic is changing; climatologists warn a four-degree rise in temperature is enough to eliminate the vast Amazon forests in a catastrophe for their people, their biodiversity, and for the world, which would lose one of its great natural air conditioners. The scientists who form the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported in 2001 that global temperature would rise between two and six degrees Celsius by 2100. Their grim forecast was made perceptible by last summer's excessive heat; and according to Swiss meteorologists, the Europe-wide hot spell that killed over 20,000 was wholly different from any previous heat wave. The odds against it being a mere deviation from the norm were 300,000 to one. It was a warning of worse to come. What makes global warming so serious and so urgent is that the great Earth system, Gaia, is trapped in a vicious circle of positive feedback. Extra heat from any source, whether from greenhouse gases, the disappearance of Arctic ice or the Amazon forest, is amplified, and its effects are more than additive. It is almost as if we had lit a fire to keep warm, and failed to notice, as we piled on fuel, that the fire was out of control and the furniture had ignited. When that happens, little time is left to put out the fire before it consumes the house. Global warming, like a fire, is accelerating and almost no time is left to act. So what should we do? We can just continue to enjoy a warmer 21st century while it lasts, and make cosmetic attempts, such as the Kyoto Treaty, to hide the political embarrassment of global warming, and this is what I fear will happen in much of the world. When, in the 18th century, only one billion people lived on Earth, their impact was small enough for it not to matter what energy source they used. But with six billion, and growing, few options remain; we can not continue drawing energy from fossil fuels and there is no chance that the renewables, wind, tide and water power can provide enough energy and in time. If we had 50 years or more we might make these our main sources. But we do not have 50 years; the Earth is already so disabled by the insidious poison of greenhouse gases that even if we stop all fossil fuel burning immediately, the consequences of what we have already done will last for 1,000 years. Every year that we continue burning carbon makes it worse for our descendants and for civilisation. Worse still, if we burn crops grown for fuel this could hasten our decline. Agriculture already uses too much of the land needed by the Earth to regulate its climate and chemistry. A car consumes 10 to 30 times as much carbon as its driver; imagine the extra farmland required to feed the appetite of cars. By all means, let us use the small input from renewables sensibly, but only one immediately available source does not cause global warming and that is nuclear energy. True, burning natural gas instead of coal or oil releases only half as much carbon dioxide, but unburnt gas is 25 times as potent a greenhouse agent as is carbon dioxide. Even a small leakage would neutralise the advantage of gas. The prospects are grim, and even if we act successfully in amelioration, there will still be hard times, as in war, that will stretch our grandchildren to the limit. We are tough and it would take more than the climate catastrophe to eliminate all breeding pairs of humans; what is at risk is civilisation. As individual animals we are not so special, and in some ways are like a planetary disease, but through civilisation we redeem ourselves and become a precious asset for the Earth; not least because through our eyes the Earth has seen herself in all her glory. There is a chance we may be saved by an unexpected event such as a series of volcanic eruptions severe enough to block out sunlight and so cool the Earth. But only losers would bet their lives on such poor odds. Whatever doubts there are about future climates, there are no doubts that greenhouse gases and temperatures both are rising. We have stayed in ignorance for many reasons; important among them is the denial of climate change in the US where governments have failed to give their climate scientists the support they needed. The Green lobbies, which should have given priority to global warming, seem more concerned about threats to people than with threats to the Earth, not noticing that we are part of the Earth and wholly dependent upon its well being. It may take a disaster worse than last summer's European deaths to wake us up. Opposition to nuclear energy is based on irrational fear fed by Hollywood-style fiction, the Green lobbies and the media. These fears are unjustified, and nuclear energy from its start in 1952 has proved to be the safest of all energy sources. We must stop fretting over the minute statistical risks of cancer from chemicals or radiation. Nearly one third of us will die of cancer anyway, mainly because we breathe air laden with that all pervasive carcinogen, oxygen. If we fail to concentrate our minds on the real danger, which is global warming, we may die even sooner, as did more than 20,000 unfortunates from overheating in Europe last summer. I find it sad and ironic that the UK, which leads the world in the quality of its Earth and climate scientists, rejects their warnings and advice, and prefers to listen to the Greens. But I am a Green and I entreat my friends in the movement to drop their wrongheaded objection to nuclear energy. Even if they were right about its dangers, and they are not, its worldwide use as our main source of energy would pose an insignificant threat compared with the dangers of intolerable and lethal heat waves and sea levels rising to drown every coastal city of the world. We have no time to experiment with visionary energy sources; civilisation is in imminent danger and has to use nuclear - the one safe, available, energy source - now or suffer the pain soon to be inflicted by our outraged planet. 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