nuclear-news

UK’s climate change secretary, Chris Huhne two faced on nuclear power

Huhne noted the UK has enough high-level nuclear waste to fill “three Olympic-sized swimming pools, and enough intermediate waste to fill a supertanker”. Because of the errors of the past, his department was spending £2bn a year “cleaning up” the “mess” of nuclear waste which he said would rise two thirds next year.

Chris Huhne: UK’s nuclear policy is most expensive postwar failure Climate change secretary, under pressure from fellow Lib Dems over nuclear power, says UK must learn from past mistakes   Guardian Uk 13 Oct 11, The climate change secretary, Chris Huhne, has described the UK’s nuclear policy as the “most expensive failure of postwar British policy-making” in a “crowded and highly-contested field”.

Huhne set out five tests for how power plants would be adopted in a cautious new regime, but is under pressure from his party to ensure any new-builds do not receive public subsidy – something the coalition has pledged it will not allow…..

The energy secretary’s speech was emphatically critical of the industry in the UK, with his office describing the speech as “full and frank” about the historical failures of British nuclear power.

“Never again. This government is determined not to pay for the present by mortgaging the future. We are determined to do the right thing for the long term. On governance, regulation and financing, we must show that we have learned the lessons of the past. We will make provision for future costs now, and pay down our decommissioning debt.”….

At their annual party conference three weeks ago, Lib Dems voted tin favour of forcing nuclear operators to hand back any gains they make from the carbon floor price. This is now party policy but a source at the Department of Energy and Climate Change said this would be up to the Treasury and there had been no change in policy. At the time, a Lib Dem source said: “The aim needs to be to change business behaviour and incentivise new low-carbon electricity generation, not give windfall profits to existing nuclear operators.”

In his speech on Thursday, Huhne said nuclear electricity could and should play a part in our energy future provided that new nuclear was built without public subsidy.

His aides said he felt there would be no need for public subsidies, saying it was an “essential reassurance” to taxpayers and energy consumers that “this will never happen again”.

He also set out five key tests he will apply to any nuclear power stations built.

Huhne noted the UK has enough high-level nuclear waste to fill “three Olympic-sized swimming pools, and enough intermediate waste to fill a supertanker”. Because of the errors of the past, his department was spending £2bn a year “cleaning up” the “mess” of nuclear waste which he said would rise two thirds next year.

October 14, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, UK