HOME


Darling warns of power cuts if we say 'no to nuclear'

Alistair Darling, the new Trade and Industry secretary, has warned of power cuts if Britain does not go ahead with a new generation of nuclear power stations.

He said that nuclear must be a part of a mix of renewable sources of energy and measures to cut consumption.

He also said that electricity generation projects must be "fast tracked" through the planning process before power cuts start. "We run a serious risk that some day someone will go into a living room, flick the switch, and nothing will happen, because we do not have the capability to generate any energy from any source at all."

"We know that it [nuclear power] is expensive, but to have an energy review that says we are not going to do it, especially given the carbon problem we face, does not make any sense at all..... no-one is talking about a French-style nuclear provision, where they are up at 80 per cent, but given where we are at the moment, with our increasing dependency on gas imports, we need to look at all options".

30 Jun 06

Back to top

Energy Policy
Fuel to Electricity
Nuclear Power
Coal
Gas
Solar
Wind
Wind Turbines