Blair poised to say Yes to more nuclear power

• Blair indicates increased usage of nuclear power is likely

• UK in danger of missing Kyoto targets for emission reductions

• Scottish Executive has said it will block any stations planned for Scotland

Key quote

"If you look at how much we are going to need to boost renewable energy by over the next ten to 15 years, it's a lot. I'm not saying we can't do it, but I am saying it's a huge investment and it's going to be very tough to do, and there are other countries that are going to make a different choice on nuclear power." - TONY BLAIR

Story in full TONY Blair yesterday gave his clearest signal yet that he will authorise the controversial building of a new generation of nuclear reactors.

To the dismay of environmental campaigners, the Prime Minister answered a question about new nuclear stations by casting doubt on whether wind and wave farms or solar power were viable alternatives.

Mr Blair also tacitly criticised the Scottish Executive's plan to block any new nuclear power station in Scotland, saying it was not "responsible" to rule out a new wave of generators come what may.

The current generation of nuclear stations is due to be wound down over the coming years. Hunterston B, in Ayrshire, is scheduled to close in 2011; Torness, in East Lothian, is due to run until 2023.

Such closures mean Mr Blair, who has committed himself to cutting British emissions, will have to decide over the next year how to replace their energy output.

Nuclear plants generate about 23 per cent of the United Kingdom's electricity, and 40 per cent in Scotland. Renewables account for less than 3 per cent of all UK electricity, and about 11 per cent in Scotland.

The Prime Minister pointedly noted at his monthly Downing Street news conference yesterday that other countries were embracing nuclear power for their future energy needs.

"If you look at how much we are going to need to boost renewable energy by over the next ten to 15 years, it's a lot," Mr Blair said of the prospect that such sources could remove the need to build new reactors. "I'm not saying we can't do it, but I am saying it's a huge investment and it's going to be very tough to do, and there are other countries that are going to make a different choice on nuclear power."

That appeared to be a reference to the United States, which is moving towards much greater use of atomic energy.

President George Bush has been pushing the US Congress to authorise the building of the country's first new nuclear power plants for 30 years. And a leaked draft of a G8 paper obtained by The Scotsman earlier this month showed that British negotiators were willing to allow the final Gleneagles declaration next week to include references to "Generation IV", a US energy department plan to encourage new nuclear plants worldwide.

While Scotland's energy policy is reserved to Westminster, planning controls are devolved and, under pressure from the Liberal Democrats, Jack McConnell, the First Minister, has agreed the Executive will block the building of any new nuclear power stations because of concerns about the disposal of radioactive waste.

Asked about those reservations yesterday, Mr Blair insisted that he did not agree with those who wanted to rule out new atomic power stations at this stage.

"Anybody who is responsibly looking at this can't simply say, 'we are refusing ever to look at the issue of nuclear power again'," he said.

However, he accepted that new stations could be built only if there was public acceptance and the project was affordable. Some experts have suggested that private industry would be reluctant to pay for new nuclear stations without massive government aid.

While ministers including Margaret Beckett, the environment secretary, are known to be highly sceptical about the case for new nuclear reactors, Mr Blair is much more sympathetic. In particular, Professor David King, the Prime Minister's chief scientific adviser, has been arguing that nuclear power is the only way Britain can hope to meet its Kyoto targets on emissions.

Figures published in April showed that Britain's carbon dioxide emissions rose by 1.5 per cent in 2004 - the second year running that emissions have increased.

That rise has put Britain in danger of missing its Kyoto targets, an outcome that would severely embarrass Mr Blair and badly wound his ability to argue for reductions in US emissions.

While Mr Blair repeated at his news conference that the government had made no decisions on future energy plans, the SNP accused him of a "soft-shoe shuffle towards new nuclear power stations."

Mike Weir, the party's energy spokesman, said the government should invest more in research into renewable energy. "There is enormous potential for generating our electricity from wind, wave, tidal, biomass and other renewable resources," he said.

That call was echoed by Duncan McLaren, of Friends of the Earth Scotland.

"Nuclear power is expensive, unsafe and deeply unpopular," he said. "Nuclear waste remains dangerous for thousands of years, and is likely to cost taxpayers billions of pounds to manage.

"We still don't know what to do with the waste we have already created; it would be crazy to produce more. The future lies with clean, green renewable energy, not trying to breathe new life into discredited nuclear power."

Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrats' environment spokesman, said: "Nuclear power is hopelessly uneconomic, and a new generation of power stations would only be possible with a massive subsidy from the taxpayer."

Despite making climate change one of his top priorities for the G8 summit at Gleneagles next week, Mr Blair sounded distinctly downbeat yesterday.

"I think there is no point in raising, or indeed dampening, expectations before we get to the end part of the hard negotiating," he said, drawing a contrast with rising hopes of a deal on African poverty.

"I think that on Africa there is a real sense of coming together ... climate change is obviously very difficult."