In response to the government’s Press Release regarding the ‘Biggest expansion of nuclear power for 70 years’, Dr Doug Parr, Chief Scientist for Greenpeace UK, said:
“Every few months the government makes a grandiose public announcement about future nuclear in the hope that a major investor will believe the hype and step up to fund this 20th century technology, but it isn’t working. The energy industry knows that the economic case for slow, expensive nuclear just doesn’t add up, and the future is renewable.
“This vague, aspirational announcement with it’s unevidenced claims of cheap energy is unlikely to change their minds when there are real reactors overshooting their massive construction budgets and showing them the truth. But it will cause anxiety amongst communities who may be fingered as potential sites for new reactors, and it will cause more confusion, uncertainty and delay over the investment we need in the real solutions; renewable energy, efficiency and an upgraded grid.
“Consequently, the ultimate impact of this announcement will be the same as all of Rishi’s other energy announcements – keeping us hooked on expensive fossil fuels for a bit longer, adding to the global damage of our emissions, and boosting the oil majors’ vast incomes.”
