12/7/2006

If the Government carries through its pledge to allow further nuclear power stations to be built they will remove any chance of Wales becoming the sustainable energy champion that it should be, Jenny Willott, Welsh liberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central, said today.

And on Wylfa, Ms Willott said: “The government has said a host of new stations are needed to make nuclear power profitable and that these should be on existing sites. But we know that many of the existing sites are unusable because of the risk of sea-level rise. Wylfa, however, is not at risk.

“What’s more, Wales has been refused the right to decide over new nuclear power stations and has had no promises that it won’t get a new nuclear plant, unlike Northern Ireland. All this suggests that the Government are planning to ignore the Welsh people, the Assembly Government and MPs and build a new nuclear power station on Anglesey.�

And Greenpeace executive director Stephen Tindale said: "Tony Blair is fixated with getting new nuclear power stations built, and that means anything substantial in this review that supports clean green energy will be fatally undermined as long as Blair remains Prime Minister. "

Responding to yesterday's Energy Review, Ms Willott said, "This Review is long on words and short on content.  It confirms suspicions that this was a sham review designed to give the green light to Tony Blair's nuclear u-turn. 

"In 2003, the Government rightly said that nuclear energy wasn't necessary.  Now, under pressure from the nuclear lobby, they've changed their mind. 

"If they carry through their pledge to allow further nuclear power stations to be built, they will remove any chance of Wales becoming the sustainable energy champion that it should be.

"Nuclear is a tried, tested and failed technology, which belongs to a polluting past, not a sustainable future.

"We welcome the parts of the review that are focused on energy efficiency and renewables.  But we have been here before. We have known about the threat of climate change and the need for action for years, yet under Labour carbon emissions have continued to rise.

"Nine years of Government inaction will not be undone by this vacuous energy review. We need more than warm words and platitudes.  We need positive action on the full range of renewables, microgeneration and energy efficiency.

Commenting on the Government's approach to using the Severn Estuary as an energy source, Jenny said:

"We're glad the Government has listened to our intention to explore all the possibilities presented by the Severn, including tidal lagoons. 

"The Severn is one of the single most important sources of renewable energy in the world. We must make sure we take full advantage of it without wasting billions and destroying the environment in the process."

Ms Willott MP presented a Keep Wales Nuclear Free petition to 10, downing Street earlier this year signed by thousands from across Wales.

Reacting to the publication of the energy review, Greenpeace executive director Stephen Tindale said: "Tony Blair is fixated with getting new nuclear power stations built, and that means anything substantial in this review that supports clean green energy will be fatally undermined as long as Blair remains Prime Minister. You can't roll out new nuclear power stations and build widespread sustainable energy projects. The reality is that nuclear sucks up all the money. There is an enormous radioactive cloud hanging over this energy review which threatens to drown any positive moves on decentralised energy, renewables and energy efficiency.

"This energy review should have been about transforming the energy system in the UK.  The Government is trampling over democracy, ensuring that the planning process is streamlined in favour of building new nuclear power stations with no guarantee of a Parliamentary vote.  The only thing that is guaranteed is that the Government will deliver a nuclear White Paper before the end of  the year before the consultation on decentralised energy will even be complete. 

"A commitment to decentralised energy making power generation localised and vastly more efficient would have been a positive development, as would have been real support for renewable energy projects. Instead we get more talk. The pro-nuclear small print in this review shows that Blair is a roadblock to reform.

"David Cameron, David Miliband and the Lib Dems all understand decentralised energy. When Tony Blair leaves office Britain can get on with tackling climate change and fostering energy security without reaching for the technologies of the past. Blair fixed his own energy review to make it a manifesto for nuclear power.  With Blair in Government, the chances of actually addressing climate change and ensuring energy security diminish by the day.

In 2003 at the announcement of the Energy White Paper, Patricia Hewitt said:

"It would have been foolish to announce that we would embark on a new generation of nuclear power stations because that would have guaranteed that we would not make the necessary investment in both energy efficiency and renewables. That is why we are not going to build a new generation of nuclear power stations now." (Hansard; 24 February 2003 : Column 32)