Blair says UK needs to consider building new nuclear power plants

Edinburgh (Platts)--27Sep2005

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair Tuesday said Britain would have to consider
a new generation of civil nuclear power plants if it wanted to address the
twin issues of energy policy and global warming.
     Addressing his ruling Labour Party's annual conference in Brighton, Blair
asked: "For how much longer can countries like ours allow the security of our
energy supply be dependent on some of the most unstable parts of the world?"
He called for "an assessment of all options, including civil nuclear power."
     Blair twinned the energy and climate change issues, saying that in 2006,
"building on Britain's Kyoto commitments, we will publish proposals on energy
policy."
     He said global warming was "too serious for the world any longer to
ignore its danger or split into opposing factions on it."
     In order to combat global warming and develop energy security, Blair
called for implementation of the deal on climate change agreed by the
industrialized world's leaders at the recent G8 summit in Scotland.
     Some UK political analysts, during the run-up to the Brighton conference,
suggested Blair had been won round to the Bush Administration view that
technological development, rather than adherence to specific targets of the
kind set down in the Kyoto Protocol, was the way to tackle climate change.
     In his speech, although he mentioned Kyoto, Blair stressed technology
more, saying: "The G8 Agreement must be made to work so we develop together
the technology that allows prosperous nations to adapt and emerging ones to
grow sustainably."
     In the energy section of his speech, Blair also said his government was
continuing to develop proposals for a fundamental change in transport
funding--"including road pricing."
John Roberts, john_roberts@platts.com

For more information, take a trial to Platts Nucleonics Week at
http://nucweek.platts.com.

Copyright © 2005 - Platts

Please visit:  www.platts.com

Their coverage of energy matters is extensive!!.