PM pushes for more nuclear power stations

By George Parker, Rebecca Bream, and Jimmy Burns
Published: July 14 2008 03:00

Gordon Brown wants at least eight new nuclear power stations to come on stream during the next 15 years and says there should be no upper limit if energy companies want to build more.
Mr Brown has become a zealous advocate of nuclear power in recent months, arguing that the world could need about 1,000 new stations to help to meet targets for cutting carbon emissions and reduce oil dependency.
Downing Street officials say Mr Brown believes there should be "no upper limit" on the number of nuclear plants built in Britain and is happy for the market to determine the final total.
He has warned that David Cameron's lukewarm en-dorse-ment of nuclear power, coupled with the Tories' opposition to new planning laws to speed approval of controversial infrastructure projects, could deter energy companies from committing to nuclear energy to the detriment of Britain's long-term energy needs.
Mr Brown and John Hutton, business secretary, increasingly see long-term energy needs as a political battleground and one of the areas in which they believe the Conservatives' pro-business credentials will be tested.
As well as favouring a big expansion in nuclear power, Mr Hutton supports the construction of coal-fired power stations - before new cleaner technology is available - including a controversial new plant at Kingsnorth in Kent.
However his advocacy of coal is contested by Mr Cameron and Hilary Benn, environment secretary, who is strongly against the authorisation of the Kingsnorth plant.
Britain has 10 nuclear power stations, generating a total of 10 gigawatts of electricity, about 19 per cent of Britain's electricity needs. Many of the reactors are reaching the end of their lives and by 2020 only three - Heysham 2, Torness and Sizewell B are scheduled to still be in operation.
The earliest a new nuclear reactor is likely to be running is 2018, as gaining consent from safety and planning authorities is expected to take five years and construction another five.
Several energy companies have expressed an interest in building reactors on existing nuclear sites around the UK, but the ownership of British Energy, the nuclear company, needs to be resolved before any firm plans are made.
EDF of France has made a preliminary offer for British Energy, which is 36 per cent-owned by the government, but in recent weeks the talks have stalled.
Mr Brown told the Union for the Mediterranean Summit in Paris yesterday the expansion of a "renaissance" of nuclear power was one of the key elements of the government's oil replacement strategy, along with greater fuel efficiencies in vehicle, business and household use, a huge expansion of renewables, and the development and deployment of carbon capture and storage.
"We live in a new era, today our globalised, energy-hungry and warming world requires a shift from oil dependence to sustainable energy," Mr Brown told the summit.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008