The cost of cleaning up Britain's nuclear sites could have soared to £70 billion, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority revealed today. Virtually all of this will have to be paid for by the taxpayer. Friends of the Earth said that the latest figures - a £14 billion increase on previous estimates - highlighted the economic insanity of nuclear power, and called on the Government to reject a new building programme of nuclear reactors and invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency instead.

Friends of the Earth's director, Tony Juniper, said:

"UK taxpayers will have to pay the spiraling bill of dealing with Britain's dangerous nuclear legacy, which could now be as high as £70 billion. Nuclear waste stays highly radioactive for many thousands of years, and we still don't know how to safeguard it for the future. Today's announcement demonstrates the economic and environmental insanity of nuclear power. The Government must reject calls to build new nuclear reactors and invest in a comprehensive programme of energy efficiency and renewables that will tackle climate change while securing our energy needs."

"Had we been able to invest this scale of resources into clean and sustainable renewable power, energy efficiency and the cleaner use of fossil energy, we could have met our climate change targets easily [1]. We need now to embrace the diverse cutting edge technologies of the future, not resurrect failed technologies from the past".

Last year Friends of the Earth launched The Big Ask, a campaign to make Britain a low carbon, nuclear free economy. The campaign is calling for a new law requiring the Government to make year-on-year reductions in carbon dioxide with an annual carbon budget to ensure that this is kept on track. More info: www.thebigask.com

Friends of the Earth is calling on the Government to invest in energy efficiency and renewables and to rekect nuclear power: http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/energy_review_comment_23012006.html

Friends of the Earth says that new nuclear power plans should not be built:

http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/media_briefing/nuclear_power_energy_review.pdf

NOTES TO EDITORS

[1] The Government's Climate Change Programme published on Tuesday stated that the Government is investing only £50 million in low carbon buildings, £15 million in renewable heat and less than £50 million into research on wave and tidal power.