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Environmentalists critical of Energy Paper

Posted: 23/05/2007

The Government has published it's Energy White Paper, alongside consultations on nuclear and renewable energies. Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling said the government had reached a preliminary view that it would be in the public interest to allow energy companies to invest in nuclear power.

He said the government would consult further, in a process which will run until October, before making the final decision. He said the government wanted low-carbon sources of energy and would do everything it could to encourage renewables. But Mr Darling added they alone would not be enough to minimise the "cost and risks".

The government would consult on the "significant role" new nuclear power stations could play in cutting emissions and diversifying power supplies. Darling also said it would be for the private sector to initiate, fund, and construct and operate new nuclear plants. There were also important issues to consider, including waste.

However, environmental campaigners Friends of the Earth described the Energy White Paper as a missed opportunity. The group said that it should have set out tougher polices on energy efficiency, renewable power and cleaner transport to make the UK a world leader in developing a low carbon economy. FOE also believes that the UK can tackle climate change and keep the lights on without building new nuclear power plants.

Friends of the Earth's Energy Campaigner Neil Crumpton said: "The Government has missed a golden opportunity to make the UK a world leader in developing a safe, clean and low-carbon future. Building new nuclear plants would be a costly, dangerous and ineffective way to cut UK carbon emissions. It would also divert valuable resources from sustainable solutions for tackling climate change. This White Paper should have set out ambitious policies on energy efficiency, renewable power, carbon capture and cleaner systems of transport. Unfortunately Ministers have been taken in by the nuclear lobby yet again."

Friends of the Earth is also calling for the Government to strengthen its planned new climate change law, which will set legally binding targets for cutting UK carbon dioxide emissions. FOE says that it must include UK international emissions from aviation and shipping, and also ensure that UK emissions are cut by at least three per cent each year (www.thebigask.com).

Even if every policy in today's White Paper works according to plan it would only deliver a cut of 14-20% on 1990 levels by 2020. The Government says this cut, combined with other existing policies, would make a cut of around 26-32% by 2020, and then 60% by 2050. But research by the Tyndall Centre has assessed that this falls far short of what is needed and would, if replicated around the world, lead to a 4-5 degree rise in global temperatures.

The necessary emission reduction targets can be achieved and the lights kept on without building new nuclear power stations, simply by pushing ahead with energy efficiency programmes, renewable energy and efficient fossil fuel technologies and carbon capture and storage demonstration schemes. The group also wants a moratorium on new centralised gas power stations (CCGTs) until Combined Heat and Power (CHP) construction is back on target, and says that no new coal schemes should be built which do not capture and store their carbon emissions.

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