nuclear-news

More doublespeak from UK Energy Minister about nuclear subsidies

 Hayes today reiterated that “there should be nothing available for nuclear that’s not available for other technologies”

(A subsidy is  a subsidy is a subsidy – even if other forms of energy get one, too)

U.K. Will Reject EDF Nuclear Deal That Puts Burden on Consumers, Bloomberg By Sally Bakewell – Nov 6, 2012 The U.K. government is prepared to walk away from a deal with Electricite de France SA over plans to build the first nuclear plant in the country since the 1980s if the power price demanded by the utility is too high.

The government would “absolutely” refuse a deal that placed too great a burden on consumers, Energy Minister John Hayes said today in London . He held talks yesterday with Vincent de Rivaz, chief executive officer of EDF’s local unit.
Britain and EDF are negotiating the terms of a contract that would guarantee the price of power generated at Hinkley Point in Somerset. The U.K. is trying to encourage investors to build new atomic plants to meet the 110 billion pounds ($176 billion) of investment required to replace an aging fleet of stations, without adding to consumer bills already set to rise.
“As I looked into the eyes of Vincent de Rivaz yesterday, I told him that the government will always put the national interest first,” Hayes said at the Energy and Climate Change Committee hearing in Parliament. Both sides are entitled to walk away under the terms of their contract, he said. EDF’s de Rivaz said Oct. 23 more progress and a compelling business case were needed before it makes a final investment decision on Hinkley.
Hayes, who was appointed in September, told de Rivaz he wants to know what the deal might look like by the beginning of December, “such that the terms can be agreed by the end of the year,” he said. Yesterday’s meeting was “productive and positive,” Hayes said.

November 7, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | spinbuster, UK