News Archive – January 2005

CORWM

Letter from Elliot Morley: There is no dithering on the disposal of nuclear waste (report, January 18). I make no apology for asking the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) to consider all options for long-term disposal and report by July 2006. That is the responsible way forward. In the meantime, high-level nuclear waste is safely and securely stored. There is no consensus on deep disposal. Nirex’s proposal for an underground repository was basically ruled out at public inquiry in 1997. That project cost many millions of pounds for nothing. Some form of deep disposal may still be an option but because one country has gone for this option does not automatically mean it is suitable here. This is why CoRWM is considering all potential options in consultation with the public and interested parties.

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The Times 26th January

New Nukes

The Labour Party is planning to publish a White Paper that would pave the way for the construction of several new nuclear power stations if it emerges victorious from the forthcoming General Election. The Government is understood to have decided not to reveal its plans until after the election because it believes the issue could be a vote loser. The White Paper will address a number of key concerns expressed by opponents of new atomic power, including how to dispose of nuclear waste and how to streamline the decade-long planning process for new plants. Martin O'Neill, the chairman of the Energy Select Committee, said: "It will happen fairly soon, although perhaps not immediately after the General Election. Earlier this month a survey by the Nuclear Industry Association found that public opposition to nuclear power is falling. The NIA said opposition to replacing the UK's aging nuclear plants had halved from 60 per cent to 30 per cent over the past three years. Rising opposition to wind farms, which critics say are inefficient and an eyesore, has also led to growing support for nuclear power as an alternative way to cut down on the use of fossil fuels. Mike O'Brien, the energy minister, said in December that it was up to the private sector to prove that new nuclear stations could be economically feasible.

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Sunday Telegraph 30th January

Opinion Poll

PUBLIC opinion has swung in favour of nuclear power, with a poll showing that more people support the building of new nuclear power stations than oppose them. The MORI polling, conducted over the past month for the Nuclear Industry Association, shows the balance in favour of nuclear power for the first time since 1999. The swing in public opinion comes after several eminent scientists and politicians expressed their support for nuclear power. According to the poll results, 35 per cent of the British population said they would support the building of new nuclear power stations to replace those stations that are being phased out over the next few years. In contrast, 30 per cent of the population said they would definitely oppose any such new nuclear power stations — down from 60 per cent of the population three years ago.

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Times 18th January