| 40% nuclear says Wicks | | Print | |
| Tuesday, 08 September 2009 | |
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Britain should be 35 to 40 percent nuclear according to a report by former energy minister Malcolm Wicks. The report, produced at the request of Prime Minister Gordon Brown says that even with improved energy efficiency diversification dependency on gas will grow at an alarming rate. Wicks warned about security of supply risks : ““Our energy security demands that we reduce the risks to which this exposes us,” he said. “It is difficult to predict exactly how much new nuclear capacity might be built over the coming decades but most scenarios show nuclear power remaining an important part of the UK’s energy mix out to 2050, even in a world of much expanded renewable electricity generation,” he added. “At a time when the UK is becoming increasingly reliant on imported fossil fuels we need to ask whether the UK should be more ambitious on nuclear power. When national security considerations are added to climate change exigencies I believe the answer is yes.” In 2008, nuclear power accounted for 5 percent of the UK’s primary energy demand and around 12.5 percent of the electricity supplied. This compared to over 25 percent of the UK’s electricity supply for most of the 1990s. Mr Wicks, who is the prime minister’s special representative on international energy issues, said the government’s draft National Policy Statement, due to be published for public consultation and consideration by parliament later this year, should include “a strong and clear statement of need for nuclear power plants”. *The 130-page report – ‘Energy Security: A national challenge in a changing world’ is available on the DECC website. Comments (0)
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