New clear plans get go-ahead

A new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK has been given formal backing by the Government. Business Secretary John Hutton told MPs they would provide a, "Safe and affordable way of securing the UK's future energy supplies while fighting climate change." Any new plants would be built on or near existing reactors by private firms, with the first to be completed well before 2020.

The Government plans include:

• speeding up the planning process to make it easier to build plants;
• no public subsidies for nuclear except in emergencies;
• no limit to the amount of electricity generated by nuclear power;
• a new independent body to monitor decommissioning costs;
• trebling investment in wind and wave power;
• the storing of nuclear waste at an interim facility until a suitable underground site is found.

French energy giant EDF has already said it plans to build four nuclear power plants in the UK by 2017, following the Government's announcement. German power company E.On and British Gas parent Centrica have also expressed an interest. Speaking earlier in the Commons, Mr Hutton said the Government has concluded nuclear power was a, "Tried, tested and safe technology which had a role to play in this country's future energy mix, alongside other low-carbon sources." In fact, analysis has shown that nuclear is one of the cheapest electricity options available.

In addition, the Government is also publishing an Energy Bill to reduce carbon emissions and secure the UK's power supplies. It is possible however, that their nuclear plans could be subject to a legal challenge from Greenpeace, who successfully challenged an earlier Government review backing nuclear power in the High Court.