a joint BNIF/BNES one day conference

ENERGY CHOICES

Thursday 6 December 2001
Church House, Conference Centre,
Westminster, London, SW1

One of the Prime Minister’s first actions on re-election was to set up the first government-wide review in 20 years of UK energy needs. There are growing fears that Britain will soon become a significant importer of oil and gas. The UK is due to become a net importer of oil by 2006 and will be, along with the rest of Western Europe, increasingly reliant on gas from the Middle East, North Africa and Russia.

The developed world is more and more concerned about security of energy supply. The challenge is to meet growing electricity demand while minimising adverse impact on the environment - and maintaining a diverse energy mix. Freeing markets, as we have seen from California, is far from being a cure all.

The World Energy Council has predicted that our planet will consume 75% more electricity in 2020 than today. It further estimates that demand will treble by 2050. All Governments will be confronted by stark energy choices. Few can risk the political consequences when lifestyle choices are threatened.

In the next 20 years all Britain’s nuclear stations except Sizewell B will have closed, removing a substantial source of carbon free electricity. By 2025, nuclear’s contribution to UK electricity will have fallen from its current level of 25% to just 3% and there is no replacement build programme in place.

However, few policy makers have debated these challenges. The clock is ticking. How can the government reconcile difficult issues of public concern about new nuclear plants with the desire for affordable, readily available power supplies whilst maintaining its pledge to reduce CO2 emissions?

• Could this be a renaissance for nuclear energy?
• What other available alternatives are there?

Energy Choices provided a timely and stimulating opportunity for politicians, civil servants, opinion formers and people from the nuclear energy industry and other energy sectors to explore and discuss these crucial issues.

The speeches and presentations delivered at the Conference can be viewed and downloaded from this special section of the BNIF website.

SPEAKERS/DOWNLOADS:-