NUCLEAR POWER IS NOT THE SOLUTION - Friends of the Earth Scotland

NUCLEAR POWER IS NOT THE SOLUTION

10 January 2008
Topics: Nuclear

Comment on UK Government nuclear announcement: fails to learn lessons from
Scotland - policy stores up problems for the future

Building a new generation of nuclear power stations is not the answer to the
UK’s energy problems and will do little to help tackle climate change,
Friends of the Earth Scotland warned today. The environmental campaign group
said that by failing to follow Scotland’s example in focusing on renewables,
energy efficiency, and more efficient use of fossil fuels, the Government
was ‘storing up problems for the future’.

Friends of the Earth Scotland Chief Executive, Duncan McLaren, said:

“The decision to encourage the construction of new nuclear stations in the
UK stores up problems for the future. If new stations are built, it will add
to storepiles of unmanageable waste and create new targets for terrorists.
And regardless of how many new power stations ever generate electricity, the
policy undermines incentives for energy saving and renewable energy, making
it ever harder to meet our climate change targets”.

“We are disappointed, but not surprised that the UK has not emulated the
Scottish Government’s decisions to rule out new nuclear power, reduce
climate-changing emissions by 80% by 2050 and to deliver over 50% of
electricity from renewable sources by 2020. This announcement takes the UK
out of line with progressive independent European countries such as Sweden,
Norway and Ireland.

“We are deeply concerned at the proposals that planning scrutiny for
proposals for new nuclear stations will be reduced. This is not only
anti-democratic, but also makes a mockery of the claim that there will be no
subsidies for nuclear power: loosening planning controls is just as valuable
a subsidy as any direct payment.”

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

[1] Friends of the Earth says that the UK Government can tackle climate
change, maintain energy security and keep the lights on by investing in
clean, safe alternatives. The campaign group opposes a new generation of
nuclear power stations.

·       Britain can meet its energy needs, maintain energy security and
tackle climate change through a comprehensive programme of renewables,
energy efficiency, combined heat and power and cleaner carbon technology. A
Friends of the Earth report by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change
Research (September 2006) shows how Britain can create a low carbon,
non-nuclear society:
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/climate/news/carbon_budget.html

·       Nuclear power is not the answer to tackling climate change.
Replacing nuclear plants would only deliver around 4-5 per cent of UK energy
consumption.

·       Nuclear power is expensive and leaves a legacy of deadly radioactive
waste that remains dangerous for tens of thousands of years. After 50 years
of civil nuclear power we still don’t have a long-term strategy for dealing
with the waste that has already been created. Furthermore, UK tax-payers are
already committed to a bill of up to £70 billion to deal with our nuclear
legacy. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4859980.stm

·       A new nuclear programme would encourage other countries to go down
the dangerous nuclear route, with potential implications for nuclear weapons
proliferation.

·       Building new nuclear plants would undermine renewable energy by
steering investment away from them, and hinder the UK attempts to meet the
EU target of 20% UK energy from renewable sources by 2020

·       The Government’s public consultation was a sham. In September last
year, Friends of the Earth and other NGOs pulled out of the rushed public
consultation on nuclear power. It failed to provide adequate information on
the dangers of nuclear power or the alternatives available and Ministers had
also already made up their minds in favour of nuclear power [4].

[2] Speaking at the Labour Party Conference last year, Gordon Brown said he
wanted the UK to be “a world leader in energy and the environment from
nuclear to renewables…” Friends of the Earth says that while the Government
appears to be bending over backwards to force through nuclear energy, they
are doing little to support renewable energy - despite being committed to
the EU target of 20% renewable energy by 2020.

Currently only 2% of UK energy (and under 5% of UK electricity) comes from
renewable sources. The Energy Bill must deliver a huge increase in UK
renewable energy if it is to meet its share of the target of 20% of EU
energy to come from renewable sources by 2020 (energy includes electricity,
transport fuels and heat). This will require the UK to generate between 30
and 40% of its electricity from renewable sources. The UK has the one of the
biggest potentials for wind power in the world. Reforms in the Energy White
Paper will only see the UK reach 5% renewable energy and 15% renewable
electricity by 2020

There must be much greater emphasis on ensuring much more efficient
generation from fossil fuels. It is simply not acceptable for coal power
stations to be constructed without waste heat used efficiently and without
the potential for their carbon emissions to be captured. The Energy Bill
should:

* Reform government’s gas and electricity regulator, Ofgem so that its
primary purpose is carbon emissions reduction and protection of consumers

* Legislate to give renewable electricity generators priority access to feed
their power into the National Grid.

* Consent for new coal and gas stations must only be given if they make use
of waste heatand capture carbon dioxide emissions.

* Give smaller scale renewable electricity producers (such as households,
businesses and communities who invest in producing their own renewable
electricity from say solar panels or wind turbines) a long term guaranteed
premium price for the electricity they generate. This is knownas a ‘feed-in
tariff’,and operates successfully in many European countries, especially
Germany.

[3] Scotland successfully surpassed its original 2010 target for 17%
renewable electricity in 2007.

[4] Friends of the Earth is also concerned that the Government will use the
Planning Reform Bill to fast track Major Infrastructure Projects (MIPs) such
as nuclear power stations, without proper public consultation. Under the
bill’s proposals decisions on MIPs will be taken by an unelected and
unaccountable body and local people will only be able to raise concerns in
writing. Friends of the Earth is campaigning for fair representation and
democratic accountability for these important decisions. The environmental
charity is giving evidence to a House of Commons Committee later today
(Thursday).

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