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Potential new nuclear sites revealed
15 April 2009
Responding to a short list of potential sites for new nuclear power plants, published today, Friends of the Earth's energy campaigner Robin Webster said:
"We urgently need to end our addiction to fossil fuels - but breathing new life into the failed nuclear experiment is not the answer."
"Nuclear power leaves a deadly legacy of radioactive waste that remains highly dangerous for tens of thousands of years and costs tens of billions of pounds to manage."
"And building new reactors would divert precious resources from developing safe, clean renewable power: nuclear firms are already lobbying ministers to water down UK renewable energy targets."
"Ministers must exploit the UK's huge potential of wind, solar, marine and hydro power, and embark on a massive national programme of energy efficiency. This will create tens of thousands more jobs than the nuclear option, reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, tackle climate change and make Britain a world leader in developing a green economy."
Notes:
1. EDF and E.ON have warned the government they may be forced to drop plans to build a new generation of nuclear power plants unless the government scales back its targets for wind power. www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/mar/16/nuclear-power-renewables-edf
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Apr 2009
