Nuclear power move puts coalition on course for clash with Holyrood

Published on Tuesday 27 July 2010 17:21

THE coalition government set itself on course for a potential clash with Holyrood ministers and its own backbenchers yesterday as it announced a commitment to support the development of new nuclear power stations.

• Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said a new generation of nuclear facilities, like Torness, are needed. Picture: Pamela Grigg

UK Energy Secretary Chris Huhne said it was clear new facilities for nuclear generation should be permitted to proceed, a move that directly contradicts the SNP and Lib Dem policy that no such power stations should be built in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has made clear it is willing to use devolved powers such as planning to block new installations. But yesterday, the coalition put the development of new stations firmly within its long-term energy strategy, insisting it was in the public interest for the technology to be renewed and "continue to play a role in the UK's energy mix".

In doing so, it signalled a test for the strength of the coalition agreement, as nuclear energy is an area of disagreement between the partners, with Lib Dem backbenchers permitted to abstain in Commons' votes on the issue.

Mr Huhne, part of a frontbench Lib Dem team that fought the election on an anti-nuclear ticket, set out the UK government's first annual energy statement that outlined 32 actions the government is set to take to address the UK's energy needs over the next 40 years.

He claimed the "era of cheap, abundant energy" was over, as he laid out proposals to oversee an 80 per cent cut in the UK's carbon emissions while meeting future demands for power.

Mr Huhne said: "We must find smart ways of making energy go further, and value it for the costly resource it is.

"Even as we reduce demand, we may need to meet a near-doubling in demand for electricity, as we shift industry, transport and heating to the grid."

The coalition said it would consider applications for facilities and expect to allow the construction of new power stations to begin between 2013 and 2014 with the first to begin operating in 2018.

A spokesman for Scottish Secretary Michael Moore said the coalition would "engage constructively" with Scottish ministers.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Government said it remained unmoved on its anti-nuclear stance, with a spokesman for the First Minister maintaining his position was "clear". He said: "We run our own ship as far as having our own policy and being able to maintain our policy. We have a very clear and a very strong energy policy that is yielding real dividends in terms of jobs and investment, right now."