Possibility of new nuclear power plants in Lake District sparks eco concerns

Two sites close to Lake District National Park among potential locations for new generation of nuclear power stations

Terry Macalister
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 15 April 2009 12.46 BST

Two sites close to the Lake District National Park have been listed as potential locations for a new generation of nuclear power plants by the government today.
Braystones and Kirkstanton in Cumbria have already attracted strong local opposition to being nominated by German company RWE Power but have been included alongside existing atomic sites such as Sizewell in Suffolk and Wylfa in Anglesey.
The proposals form part of government plans to replace ageing nuclear power stations and highly polluting coal plants in an attempt to beat an energy supply crunch and lower carbon emissions.
Members of the public are being given one-month consultation period to express their opinion on a form of energy generation that is back in fashion with politicians after losing public confidence due to accidents such as those at Chernobyl in the Ukraine and Tree Mile Island in America.
"This is another important step towards a new generation of nuclear power stations," said energy and climate change secretary, Ed Miliband. "I want to listen to what people have to say about these nominations and I encourage people to log on to our website, read the information and let us have their comments. Nuclear power is part of the low-carbon future for Britain."
The full list of potential locations is: Dungeness in Kent; Sizewell in Suffolk; Hartlepool in Cleveland; Heysham in Lancashire; Sellafield in Cumbria; Braystones in Cumbria; Kirksanton in Cumbria; Wylfa Peninsula in Anglesey; Oldbury in Gloucestershire; Hinkley Point in Somerset and Bradwell in Essex.
The sites have been nominated by the energy giants EDF, Eon and RWE, and by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which owns some nuclear sites. None are in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
The Nuclear Industries Association, which represents companies in the sector, said publication of a list of potential sites for nuclear development was an important step for new build in Britain.
"The announcement of sites shows that we're making strong and tangible progress towards building new nuclear power stations, which will help keep the UK's lights on and drive down our carbon emissions," said Keith Parker, chief executive of the NIA.
Local authority leaders also welcomed the move. Isle of Anglesey council leader Phil Fowlie said the announcement was "very good news" for the local economy, pointing out that 1,000 people are employed at the existing Wylfa power station or at related businesses nearby.
"In these economic times it is so, so important for us to secure the future of nuclear power in Anglesey. In the short term, it will create thousands of construction jobs as the new power station is built and in the long term it will secure work for those already employed at Wylfa and nearby," said Fowlie.
But anti-nuclear campaigners made clear they would fight hard to prevent any new power stations being built. "The government is going down the wrong path in proposing that we should have more nuclear power stations," said Charles Barnett, chairman of the Shutdown Sizewell Campaign in Suffolk.
"They are not safe. With the heightened risk of terrorism, it's foolhardy to build more. They are very expensive and they leave a legacy of dangerous waste. We shall be resisting the plans. The way forward is benign energy forms – wind, waves, solar and biomass."
Martin Forwood, campaign co-ordinator for Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment (CORE), said any new nuclear installations would be disastrous for Cumbria.
"If the government was to get the go-ahead, I think it would be the kiss of death for any chance for Cumbria to diversify its economy away from its dependence on the nuclear industry, something it has been dominated by for the last 50 years. It will seal its fate. It would become the Lake District Nuclear Park and sit very uncomfortably alongside the Lake District National Park. It doesn't need to become a nuclear park, West Cumbria has so much more to offer."
Friends of the Earth's energy campaigner, Robin Webster, said "breathing new life into the failed nuclear experiment" was not the answer to the UK's energy problems. She added: "Nuclear power leaves a deadly legacy of radioactive waste that remains highly dangerous for tens of thousands of years and costs tens of billions of pounds to manage.
"And building new reactors would divert precious resources from developing safe, clean renewable power: nuclear firms are already lobbying ministers to water down UK renewable energy targets."