nuclear-news

Anti-nuclear local authorities in the north are calling for a radical rethink of British government policy on nuclear power.

Manchester-based Nuclear Free Local Authorities Secretariat (NFLA) said that a range of recent announcements and stories in the media “highlight serious doubts over the potential private-sector support for a new nuclear build programme in the UK.”

As a result the organisation has urged the government to rapidly seek a plan B for the Britain’s future energy mix, as well as tackling the problem of nuclear waste.

The NFLA cited numerous developments that it believes necessitate the formulation of a nuclear alternative, starting with the fact that French, Chinese and Russian bids for new reactors at Wylfa and Oldbury had not materialised.

Concerns have also arisen after Scottish Power-owned Iberdrola opted to take a further three years before deciding whether to stick with a consortium to build a new reactor at Sellafield Moorfield in Cumbria.

Elsewhere Westinghouse owner Toshiba is considering pulling out of developing any nuclear reactors in Britain and quitting the nuclear sector altogether while, at Hinkley Point, EDF have still to resolve 22 of 31 issues in the “generic design assessment” of the reactor design and are unlikely to resolve the issue before the December 2012 deadline.

And finally, the leaked European Commission post-Fukushima “stress test” report exposed hundreds of problems with the 143 nuclear reactors in the EU, with estimates suggesting it could cost up to €25 billion (£20.1bn) to resolve these issues.

As a result the NFLA is calling for a “rush for renewables” following the example of Germany, where renewable energy production increased from 3.6 per cent of electricity generation in 1990 to 19.9 per cent by 2011, before hitting 25 per cent this summer.

NFLA chairman Councillor Brian Goodall said: “The NFLA has consistently argued that the sums do not stack up for a new nuclear programme while the financial and safety risks remain too high, even more so after Fukushima.

“With all these recent media reports and official announcements pointing to a collapse in investment for new build, I call on the UK government to immediately refocus UK energy policy towards renewable alternatives in co-operation with councils and neighbouring countries like the Republic of Ireland.

“The time for real change in nuclear policy has arrived and not a moment too soon.”

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/124861