Nuclear power decision is due 'within a year'
Telegraph | Money | Nuclear power decision is due 'within a year'
By Malcolm Moore (Filed: 03/10/2005)
The Government said yesterday it would decide whether to build new nuclear power stations within a year.
"We have to now make government decisions so we can put proposals before the British people next year," said Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
"Tony Blair has said right from the general election in May that we need to tackle this issue within this parliament; and I think early in this parliament is the time for government to make its decisions," he said.
The minister, speaking on the BBC's Sunday AM programme, said he was "agnostic" about the issue, and that "we're generally neutral".
However, Mr Johnson admitted that many Labour members would be furious at new nuclear construction. "It is still very controversial - what do we do with the waste?" he said.
The Government has stalled and fudged the issue of new nuclear build for years.
Consequently, Mr Johnson's comments, together with a series of increasingly pro-nuclear hints from the Prime Minister, convinced commentators that the Government has now come to terms with the idea of new nuclear power stations.
Although British Energy is extending the life of most of the current stations, this will only add another 20 to 25 years, and nuclear power stations take a great deal of time to plan and build.
Nuclear power is also seen as the only way Britain can deliver on its greenhouse gas-emission targets under the Kyoto protocol.
"Many environmentalists now accept that the more we increase renewables, we are just running to catch up, because as nuclear energy diminishes, we are losing a form of CO2-free emission," Mr Johnson said.
Industry sources said the government had raised the nuclear issue to head off an expected pro-nuclear campaign from the Conservatives. "They have a short window to push the nuclear issue while electricity prices are high," said one source, who did not wish to be named. "When prices come down, because there is more gas on the market, the debate will be less interesting," he said.
Separately, the Government's ability to shape nuclear policy may be affected by British Nuclear Fuels' plans to privatise several of its major plants. BNFL wants to sell Sellafield, Sizewell and Dungeness.
Mr Johnson said of the proposals: "That's not a decision that has come to me yet. I think they wrote to us on Friday."
The unit that BNFL wants to sell decommissions and cleans up redundant nuclear facilities. The cost of cleaning up Britain's nuclear legacy is about £48billion, so there are likely to be several interested parties.
By Malcolm Moore (Filed: 03/10/2005)
The Government said yesterday it would decide whether to build new nuclear power stations within a year.
"We have to now make government decisions so we can put proposals before the British people next year," said Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
"Tony Blair has said right from the general election in May that we need to tackle this issue within this parliament; and I think early in this parliament is the time for government to make its decisions," he said.
The minister, speaking on the BBC's Sunday AM programme, said he was "agnostic" about the issue, and that "we're generally neutral".
However, Mr Johnson admitted that many Labour members would be furious at new nuclear construction. "It is still very controversial - what do we do with the waste?" he said.
The Government has stalled and fudged the issue of new nuclear build for years.
Consequently, Mr Johnson's comments, together with a series of increasingly pro-nuclear hints from the Prime Minister, convinced commentators that the Government has now come to terms with the idea of new nuclear power stations.
Although British Energy is extending the life of most of the current stations, this will only add another 20 to 25 years, and nuclear power stations take a great deal of time to plan and build.
Nuclear power is also seen as the only way Britain can deliver on its greenhouse gas-emission targets under the Kyoto protocol.
"Many environmentalists now accept that the more we increase renewables, we are just running to catch up, because as nuclear energy diminishes, we are losing a form of CO2-free emission," Mr Johnson said.
Industry sources said the government had raised the nuclear issue to head off an expected pro-nuclear campaign from the Conservatives. "They have a short window to push the nuclear issue while electricity prices are high," said one source, who did not wish to be named. "When prices come down, because there is more gas on the market, the debate will be less interesting," he said.
Separately, the Government's ability to shape nuclear policy may be affected by British Nuclear Fuels' plans to privatise several of its major plants. BNFL wants to sell Sellafield, Sizewell and Dungeness.
Mr Johnson said of the proposals: "That's not a decision that has come to me yet. I think they wrote to us on Friday."
The unit that BNFL wants to sell decommissions and cleans up redundant nuclear facilities. The cost of cleaning up Britain's nuclear legacy is about £48billion, so there are likely to be several interested parties.
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