By IRNA
London : Britain’s reliance on nuclear power will increase “significantly” over the next two decades, according to Business Secretary John Hutton.
The new generation of nuclear power stations the government wants to see built will supply much more of the country’s electricity than the 19 per cent the existing ones deliver, Hutton said in an interview with the Financial Times Thursday.
Setting out an expansive vision of the country’s atomic future, he made clear that the government would pull out all the stops to maximize the expansion of nuclear power, despite the extent of the opposition to the controversial plans.
“We need the maximum contribution from nuclear sources in the next 10 to 15 years,” the minister said. He said he would be “very disappointed if it’s not significantly above the current level.” The British government’s reversal to build a new generation of nuclear plants comes as the UK’s stock of reactors are ageing and as the country is becoming more dependent on oil and gas imports.
Hutton said his government was determined to fast-track the replacement of the 10 stations, all but one of which is due to close by 2023. The first plant could be operational by 2017, a year ahead of the original target, he said.
Investors are queuing up for the multi-billion pound construction programme, on the proviso that the government meets its commitment to “clear the decks” of regulatory obstacles, he said.
The government has so far refused to be drawn on the scale of commercial investment in new nuclear reactors they hope to attract to the UK, saying it is for the market to decide.
The business secretary was said to have dropped the government’s previous commitment to maintaining a minimum 29.9 per cent stake in British Energy, the nuclear generator, suggesting it may sell of its Pnds 2 billion plus ((Dlrs 4 bn) stake.
“We have to consider for the medium term what view we should take about holding on to these shares,” he said, arguing that the government was “clear that we don’t want the taxpayers to be involved in new nuclear investment”.