Archived press release

Foe slams industry plans for new nuke reactors

26 February 2002

Friends of the Earth today branded British Energy and BNFL's joint agreement to develop plans for a large number of new nuclear reactors as 'ludicrous' which flies in the face of both public opinion and the Government's recently published Energy Review.

The Government's PIU energy review, published earlier this month, clearly indicated that the nuclear industry's preferred option for bulk building - up to 10 reactors of the same design - would be inflexible and inappropriate for our energy needs [1]. It also highlighted the potentially damaging effect a large scale new-build nuclear programme would have on future developments within the energy industry [2].
Nuclear power is uneconomic, depending on vast handouts of taxpayers money [3]. Possible changes to the climate change levy could benefit the nuclear industry by approximately £250 million a year. This would also damage the UK's fledgling renewables industry, and undermine plans to develop clean energy supplies.

Bryony Worthington, Energy Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:

"The nuclear industry knows that if renewable energy takes off in the next few years it will be effectively squeezed out of the picture. It is now stuck between a rock and a hard place and knows it has to build a large number of nuclear reactors to achieve economies of scale. If this foolish plan goes ahead we will be locked into a nuclear straight jacket that was rejected just last week by Government advisors.

“Nuclear power is expensive, risky and leads to the inescapable problem of nuclear waste. The industry should read the PIU energy review again and think seriously about the real future for our energy industry - investing in renewables. The British public do not want new nuclear power stations, and any attempt to force new ones on them will be vigorously opposed."

Notes

[1] P.126 of the PIU Energy Review states: “The desire for flexibility points to a preference for supporting a range of possibilities, rather than a large and relatively inflexible programme of investment such as is being proposed by the nuclear industry.”

[2] P.104 of the Energy Review reads: “A sustained programme of investment in currently proposed power plants could adversely affect the development of smaller-scale technologies, including possible new generations of nuclear plant.”

[3] Nuclear power has always depended on Government subsidies. Building a new generation of nuclear power stations will involve huge upfront capital costs and long lead times before investors will realise any potential returns. There is also a high degree of cost uncertainty - the Westinghouse AP 1000 design has yet to be built and any untried engineering project of this scale will inevitably involve unforeseen costs and missed deadlines. Sizewell B, Britain's most recently built nuclear power station took over six years to complete and cost roughly twice the figure first budgeted. And it is impossible to put a figure on the costs of dealing with nuclear waste or the decommissioning of stations at the end of their lives.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust