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Press Release

'NUCLEAR ENERGY CONSULTATION A SHAM’, SAY COUNTRYSIDE CAMPAIGNERS

23 May 2007

CPRE [1] condemned the consultation on the future of nuclear power published alongside the Government’s Energy White Paper [2] today (Wednesday), as an empty gesture.CPRE said that asking whether the UK needs new nuclear plants is ‘out of sync’ with the need for immediate action to reduce energy demand and climate change effects, and places too much faith in nuclear power.

The consultation on new nuclear power plants is being repeated because a High Court judgement last year ruled that the previous consultation [3] had been ‘misleading’ and ‘seriously flawed’.

But after the High Court judgement, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Alistair Darling, said: ‘We continue to believe, subject of course to consultation, there is a case for having new nuclear power stations…’. [4] He was backed by Tony Blair who commented that repeating the consultation process ‘won’t affect the policy at all’.

CPRE planning campaigner Amanda Brace said:

‘We do not believe that the case for new nuclear power plants has been made, or that nuclear power is the “climate change panacea” it is sometimes portrayed as.Timing is critical. The draft Climate Change Bill warns that even a 5-year delay in action could make a real difference in world temperature increases above present levels. Even if planning is speeded up, any new nuclear power station wouldn’t come on-line until around 2017.’ [5]

The Government agrees that new nuclear build is only likely to have a relatively small impact on UK emissions by 2020, with each plant likely to deliver only a 0.5% reduction in carbon emissions by that date. [6]With the Bill committing the Government to setting a carbon reduction budget from 2008, CPRE supports the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition’s call for a 3% reduction in CO2 emissions every year starting in 2008. [7]Reducing energy demand now in every sector, including in the road and air transport sectors, is the only way forward.

Amanda Brace continued:

‘The Government’s proposals risk igniting public opposition to new nuclear power stations and other large energy projects. And they may be open to challenge on human rights grounds. Proposals included in the Energy White Paper do nothing to allay people’s anxiety about nuclear power plants and other large projects.Nor will they help us tackle energy demand as the starting point for ensuring energy security and stabilising climate change [8].’



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