On Thursday, December 1, 2005, the Buisness Gazette published an article written by David Siddall titled Warm Reaction to All-Encompassing Review. It is a fascinating look into the British political environment in which the idea of new nuclear power plants is going to be evaluated.
Mr. Jamie Reed, MP from Copeland had the following to say:
“I also welcome the Prime Minister’s bold and necessary leadership on what will be a contentious issue.
“Britain pioneered nuclear generation as a world leader and Calder Hall – the world’s first commercial scale nuclear station – is in my constituency. Britain is still a world leader in the field of nuclear technology, and we have one of the most skilled, committed, safe workforces within any industry anywhere in the world.
“This must be built upon, not allowed to wither.”
Some unions are also on board:
Peter Kane, secretary of the committee and convenor for the powerful GMB union said: “We within the trade union movement have campaigned long and hard for a balanced energy policy that will meet the changing needs of a modern country like ours.”He went on “This is a major step forward not only with regard to the possible employment opportunity within the industry but also to the government’s commitment on reducing carbon emissions.
While support for the the concept of needing new nuclear power plants in the UK is building, the opposition is also getting ready for a fight. In an article published on November 30, 2005 on icWales titled Nuclear decisions ‘will be difficult’ the following paragraph was the concluding statement.
A spokesman for economic development minister Andrew Davies said, “We have identified an energy mix for Wales that is both sustainable and environmentally viable. Given the surplus of electricity produced in North Wales and the major new gas generation projects earmarked for the South, it is difficult to see any commercial requirement for new nuclear build in Wales in the foreseeable future even without considering the perennial issues of nuclear generation – cost, waste and safety.”
