Antinuclear

Nuclear establishment uneasy, as UK moving away from nuclear?

The bosses at EDF, Centrica, RWE npower, E.ON and all must be feeling distinctly queasy, after all the time and money they’ve spent on pushing for nuclear power in Britain. They’ve been pretty successful at gaining subsidies for it too – with UK billpayers expected to pay at least £17 more per year by the middle of the decade to encourage the construction programme. Could the years of lobbying fail to pay off?

Is Chris Huhne preparing for his second U-turn on nuclear? – Telegraph, By Rowena Mason 12 April 11, The previously anti-nuclear Lib Dem, who famously became pro-nuclear on appointment to Energy Secretary, is yet to pronounce definitively on what the Japan atomic disaster may mean for UK plans for 10 new stations. But he has ordered an inquiry into safety concerns and several ministers seem to be smoothing the way for a new official line – that we don’t need nuclear power after all.
The bosses at EDF, Centrica, RWE npower, E.ON and all must be feeling distinctly queasy, after all the time and money they’ve spent on pushing for nuclear power in Britain. They’ve been pretty successful at gaining subsidies for it too – with UK billpayers expected to pay at least £17 more per year by the middle of the decade to encourage the construction programme. Could the years of lobbying fail to pay off?
In the first warning shot, Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister, hinted that the next generation of nuclear power stations may be too expensive following the Japanese tsunami.

Then, over the weekend, Charles Hendry acknowledges on BBC Radio Four: “We can meet our objectives without nuclear. It would be more expensive. But  safety is our top priority.”

This is a distinct change of tune, ……..

However, signs of public opposition to nuclear are already emerging for the first time in decades. A group of protestors blocked off the road outside EDF’s offices in Westminster on Monday morning, causing traffic chaos. And anti-nuclear protestors living near EDF’s proposed site at Hinkley Point have registered their concern about the design of Areva’s reactors, which were criticised by the French regulator last month as “very compromised”.

What may be just as worrying to UK politicians is the impact of greater safety requirements on the cost of building each £5bn nuclear power station. The Government simply cannot ask the UK consumer to bear much more cost on their electricity bills without pushing thousands more into fuel poverty….

Is Chris Huhne preparing for his second U-turn on nuclear? – Telegraph Blogs

April 13, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized