11 July 2006 - On the announcement that new nuclear  power stations to be at the heart of future energy policy in the UK, Green MEPs Caroline Lucas (UK) and Claude Turmes (Luxembourg) stated:

"The open secret of the impending nuclear revival in the UK has finally been officially confirmed today. Despite the obscene costs of the nuclear option (in terms of construction, waste disposal and decommissioning), the unresolved dilemma of how to safely dispose of toxic radioactive waste and the persisting dangers of nuclear power, Atomic Tony has decided to try and catapult UK energy policy back forty years.

"With all the uncertainties and risks associated with nuclear energy, it is astonishing that the UK government regards it as some kind of panacea for the current problems of energy security. This completely overlooks countless reports, including from its own Sustainable Development Commission, which set out clearly how our targets can be met without resorting to nuclear .

"20 years on from Chernobyl and with the Iranian crisis underlining the dangerous blur between nuclear energy and nuclear weapons, the UK government seems content to ignore the malignant legacy of nuclear. The cracks, which are now commonplace in UK reactor cores, mirror those in the policy of how to deal with radioactive waste and how to prevent nuclear proliferation. There should be no illusions that this is the reality of the nuclear path that Tony Blair is choosing to lead the UK down.

"Despite assurances that aid or subsidies will not be given, the nature of nuclear means it is inevitable that future taxpayers at least will end up bailing the industry out - as experience has clearly demonstrated. T he EU Commission must be vigilant in ensuring state aid, particularly aid awarded on the grounds of environmental protection, is not used for nuclear ends. The only solution is to focus completely on the existing viable alternatives, including energy efficiency technologies and renewables, but the danger is that today’s announcement will undermine their development, both politically and financially."

ENDS