London, Jan 30, IRNA ,The estimated cost of decommissioning the UK’s 19 ageing nuclear power plants had risen to Pnds 73 billion (Dlrs 145 bn), almost a third higher than five years ago, a parliamentary watchdog has warned.
The National Audit Office (NAO) said the cost has jumped from Pnds 61 bn in the last two years and could land British taxpayer with even higher bills in the future.
In a report into the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), set up by the government to take responsibility for cleaning up sites, the NAO was critical of the inconsistencies in official estimates.
Long-term uncertainty about pricing and “a more complete assessment of the work” needing to be done combined to make revisions to the estimates necessary, but the inaccuracy of the estimates was exacerbated by several factors, it found.
It pinpointed the volatility of the NDA’s income, which is derived in part from “ageing and unreliable” nuclear facilities. This made it difficult to fund short-term projects.
The report was seized by critics, opposed to Britain building a new generation of nuclear plants, as evidence that nuclear power was too expensive.
“Rather than spending billions of pounds on new nuclear plants, ministers should focus on delivering increased energy efficiency and developing genuinely renewable forms of power,” the Liberal Democrats’ environment spokesman, Steve Webb said.
Three of Britain’s largest trade unions, Prospect, Unite and the GMB, also joined in the attack on the authority’s failure to handle properly the decommissioning of nuclear plants.