UK says British Energy should not sway nuclear issue
Date: 14-Oct-02
Country: UK
Author: Neil Chatterjee
"New nuclear build has to be addressed in its own right," said Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, at a Greenpeace organised conference in London.
Britain extended an emergency aid package totalling 650 million pounds ($1.02 billion) last month to the privatised nuclear power firm and the country's largest power producer, a decision criticised by environmentalists looking for an end to nuclear generation.
"The first step is inherited liabilities - we have those whether or not there is any new build," Hewitt said. "These liabilities arise from the last 50 years of nuclear build."
The loan package has been extended until November 29 while the government balances energy, environmental and industry policy concerns to find a long-term solution.
The company shocked investors last month by saying it needed a handout to avoid going bust.
Anti-nuclear campaigners at the conference questioned why the government was spending much larger sums to bail out British Energy than on research for renewable energies.
"The reason we took action (on British Energy) was to ensure the safety of nuclear generation and the security of supply...not to secure the future of British Energy as a company," Hewitt said.
The government is currently reviewing Britain's long term energy options, with about a fifth of the country's power generation now nuclear.
Hewitt said the government's four core energy policy areas were security of supply, the move to a low carbon economy, an efficient market framework and the elimination of fuel poverty.
She said there needed to be a "massive step-change" in investment on renewable energies such as wind power and biomass fuels, in order to meet government targets on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, though nuclear energy had to be considered as it also produced carbon-free energy.
"Building new nuclear power stations to stop emissions is like smoking to keep your weight down," said Greenpeace director Stephen Tindale, adding 72 percent of British people surveyed in a poll commissioned by the pressure group were against new nuclear build.
