BRITAIN:The British government has confirmed its backing for a new generation of nuclear power stations as the "compelling" way to secure the UK's energy supplies while helping it meet the global challenge of climate change.
In his long-awaited but fully expected statement to MPs yesterday, the secretary of state for business, enterprise and regulatory reform, John Hutton, indicated that the proposed new plants in England and Wales would be built at or near existing reactors.
With the first due for completion by 2020, Mr Hutton also insisted the costs would not be borne by the taxpayer, with energy from renewable sources now the only source being subsidised by government.
Scottish minister for finance John Swinney claimed a triumph for the minority SNP administration at Holyrood while expressing delight that there are apparently no plans in the pipeline to build new nuclear stations north of the border.
First minister Alex Salmond had already vowed Scotland would have no part in the decision announced yesterday at Westminster, and Mr Swinney said he believed the strength of Scottish feeling against what he called "unwanted and unnecessary new nuclear power stations" had been felt by Mr Hutton.
Environmentalist campaigners seem certain to mount a legal challenge to the development of new reactors they regard as expensive, dirty and dangerous. But with the Conservatives adopting a broadly similar position to Labour, there is little expectation that the government's decision to "go nuclear" will be reversed.
The decision, following the latest consultation, came in the form of a White Paper as Mr Hutton said: "The government believe that new nuclear power stations should have a role to play in this country's energy mix alongside other low-carbon sources.
"The government's view is that it is in the public interest to allow energy companies the option of investing in new nuclear stations and that we should, therefore, take the necessary steps to facilitate that."
That, he said, would include the Planning Bill improving the speed and efficiency of the planning system for nationally significant infrastructure, including nuclear power stations, "while giving local people a greater opportunity to have their say".
He said a strategic siting assessment, to help identify the most suitable sites for the new buildings, would be completed by 2009, and that work was already under way on assessing the safety of the new generation of reactors.
The minister also stressed that nuclear power could only be one aspect of the UK's energy mix and "cannot on its own" resolve all the challenges facing the country. "Meeting those challenges requires the full implementation of our energy and climate change strategy, with nuclear taking its place alongside other low-carbon technologies."
At the same time Mr Hutton said he would not be placing "some artificial cap" on the proportion of electricity that the UK should be able to generate either from nuclear power or any other source of low-carbon energy.
"Given that nuclear power is a tried and tested, safe and secure form of low-carbon technology, it would be wrong in principle to rule it out now playing any role in the UK's energy future."
During the consultation period, many had argued that a permanent solution for dealing with existing waste must be developed before new waste was created. However, Mr Hutton told MPs: "Our conclusion is that geological waste disposal is both technically possible and the right approach for managing existing and new higher-activity waste.