Call for Assembly to support clean energy review

The Welsh Assembly Government is being urged to back clean energy solutions and to reject nuclear power in its response to the UK Government's energy review launched on January 23rd.

The call comes from Friends of the Earth Cymru, which is also backing the warning, given by Welsh Secretary Peter Hain in today's Observer newspaper, that the government must take into account the high costs and the carbon emissions of nuclear power.

Tony Blair announced that there would be a review of the Government's Energy Strategy on 29 November 2005. The review, he said, would investigate how the UK should meet its future energy needs, and specifically asks whether or not the UK should build a new generation of nuclear power stations. Friends of the Earth Cymru wrote to all Assembly Members in November arguing that new nuclear reactors are not needed and pointing to cleaner options such as renewable energy and improved energy efficiency.

A separate review of the Government's failing climate change programme is expected within weeks. UK emissions of carbon dioxide have increased by 5.5 per cent since Labour came to power. Wales has performed worse than England, Scotland and Northern Ireland in achieving carbon dioxide reductions since the target date of 1990.

Gordon James, Assembly Campaigner with Friends of the Earth Cymru said:

"Energy policy in the UK is at a crossroads and it is important that the Welsh Assembly Government makes its views heard. It must stick to its aim of making Wales a global showcase for clean energy and reject the dangerous, costly and unnecessary nuclear option.

"We fully support the concerns raised by Welsh Secretary, Peter Hain, that the full process of nuclear energy from the mining of uranium ore to the disposal of hazardous wastes is financially very costly and does contribute to carbon dioxide emissions. We hope that the Welsh Assembly Government will back his views."

The Energy Review will assess progress against the four goals set by the 2003 Energy White Paper:
o to put the UK on a path to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by some 60% by 2050 with real progress by 2020;

• to maintain the reliability of energy supplies;
• to promote competitive markets in the UK and beyond, helping to raise the rate of sustainable economic growth and to improve our productivity; and
• to ensure that every home is adequately and affordably heated.

The review will focus primarily on electricity generation. But this only accounts for less than a fifth of our energy use and around a third of our emissions. The review will also consider the energy required for transportation.

Gordon James continued:

"Fossil fuels will still have a role to play in UK energy production for the coming decades, but these can be phased out as cleaner technologies come on stream. Fossil fuels can also be burnt in a far more efficient and clean way through the use of cost-effective technologies.

"Natural gas produces less carbon dioxide for the amount of energy it produces than either coal or oil. However, as UK sources of gas supplies have decreased, concerns have been raised about increased prices and security of supply. These concerns should not be overstated, as most of the UK's gas imports are currently from Norway.

"But much of our gas - and indeed our energy - is wasted. Preventing this waste would improve our energy security, save money and reduce our emission of harmful carbon dioxide. For example all but 38 per cent of energy from fossil fuels is lost during its conversion to electricity.

"Gas could be used far more efficiently to produce electricity by using it in combined heat and power plants (CHP). Coal-fired stations, such as Aberthaw, could cut their emissions by replacing inefficient boilers and burning biomass crops, as well as coal.

"Vast quantities of energy could also be saved by ensuring that homes and offices are properly insulated, and by setting tough energy efficiency standards for electrical appliances. According to the Carbon Trust, UK business wastes £1 billion a year in lost energy.

"By contrast, nuclear power only provides around a fifth of our electricity, no heat, and only about 3-4% of the UK's overall energy needs. So a programme of new nuclear build would do very little to reduce our energy dependence and our greenhouse gas emissions. Nuclear is expensive, unreliable, and dangerous and produces wastes that remain hazardous for thousands of years."