Energy security: Nuclear power is 'no solution'
5 August 2009
Scotland could and should be 100% renewable says WWF
Plans to tackle climate change by rigging the energy market in favour of nuclear power should be resisted, said WWF Scotland. The environmental group made the comments following the publication today of a new report, commissioned by the Prime Minister Gordon Brown, examining UK energy security. [1]
Written by Malcolm Wicks MP, 'Energy Security: a national challenge in a changing world' recommends that "nuclear should provide some 35-40 per cent of our electricity beyond 2030" and that "Government should take the opportunity to make a strong and clear statement on the need for new nuclear power plants."
Last month, WWF Scotland along with other organisations published a report showing that a truly sustainable energy future is achievable for Scotland, meeting climate change, renewable energy and energy saving targets and creating new economic opportunities while protecting sensitive environments and maintaining security of supply. [2]
WWF Scotland's Director, Dr Richard Dixon, said:
"Nuclear power is a polluting and expensive distraction from the real action required by politicians to tackle climate change. The recommendations in this report to effectively rig the energy market in favour of new nuclear must not be allowed to undermine continued support for renewables and other sensible solutions to climate change here in Scotland.
"With all our natural advantages in renewable energy, Scotland would be crazy to waste time and money going back to nuclear. The Scottish Government is absolutely right to continue to reject nuclear power and we are disappointed that UK Ministers have not done likewise.
"Scotland and the rest of the UK could meet ambitious targets for tackling climate change by using the many clean, safe energy alternatives that already exist. Only last month WWF Scotland, along with other organisations set out how Scotland can meet, and indeed exceed, its electricity demands through renewable technologies by 2030."
NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] Energy Security: A national challenge in a changing world
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/pn090/pn090.aspx
http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/change_energy/int_energy/security/security.aspx
[2] Published in July 2009, the 'Power of Scotland Renewed' report, based on research by independent energy analysts Garrad Hassan, and commissioned by Friends of the Earth Scotland, the World Development Movement, WWF Scotland and RSPB Scotland, shows that there is enormous potential to increase generation of electricity from renewable sources during the next two decades, so much so that by 2030 renewable energy can meet between 60% and 143% of Scotland’s projected annual electricity demand.
If Scotland also meets official targets for energy saving, the research concludes it is feasible for all fossil fuel fired generation to be closed by 2030, delivering almost complete decarbonisation for Scotland’s electricity supply. Even in the "business as usual" case Scotland does not require any new fossil or nuclear capacity to maintain security of supply. Instead security of supply can be maintained by practical investments in grid upgrades, interconnectors, deferrable demand and electricity storage.
http://www.wwfscotland.org.uk/what_we_do/press_centre/?3161/Scotland-could-be-100-renewable-in-only-20-years
[3] WWF Scotland is part of Stop Climate Chaos, an alliance of development, environment and civil society groups aiming for tougher action to reduce emissions - http://stopclimatechaosscotland.org
SCCS will be helping organise a Climate Change march in Glasgow on the 5th December, 2009.
