| BNIF welcomes House of Commons Science and Technology Committee Report, 'Towards a Non-Carbon Fuel E | | Print | |
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On 3 April the House of Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology published the report of its inquiry, "Towards a Non-Carbon Fuel Economy: Research, Development and Demonstration". BNIF and BNFL jointly presented oral evidence to the inquiry in November 2002. The report comes down firmly in favour of nuclear energy as a crucial element in the move towards a non-carbon energy economy. The Committee is not convinced that there are any current policies that will bring forward new British energy technologies to combat climate change, and it sees nuclear as a key technology, stating emphatically that "Renewable sources of power are not coming on stream fast enough and nuclear power must fill the gap." In the committee's view, "The only way to keep the nuclear option open is for Government to indicate that it would have no objection in principle to granting permission for new reactors to be built, even on a modest scale to send a clear message that the technology has a future." The Committee endorses the industry's view that nuclear should benefit from its status as a carbon free source of energy, and that "There is no chance of meeting the Government's targets for CO2 reductions if current policies and market conditions remain in place" Looking to the longer-term measures needed to keep the nuclear option open, the Committee recommends that active participation by British companies in the Generation IV Forum is essential to give the UK a stake in the direction of future technologies. The Committee particularly applauds BNFL's investment in pebble bed reactors and the long-term view it is taking of reactor technologies. While the Committee acknowledges that public opinion is a major obstacle to new nuclear build, it believes that "this should not preclude the funding of research which could go a long way to addressing public concerns into the waste and safety of existing systems." Adrian Ham, Chief Executive of BNIF, commented: "The House of Commons committee has hit the nail on the head when it says: '.. the void filled by the closure of nuclear power stations over the next 20 years cannot be made up by increases in renewable energy generation.' BNIF welcomes the voices of those who are calling for attention to long run issues - and alerting us to the dangers of depending on messages from the short-term vacillations of an unstable market." Ends |
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