Blair Signals U Turn on Nuclear Power

Blair Signals U Turn on Nuclear Power

Jul 07 - Daily Mail; London (UK)

TONY Blair opened the way to the building of a new generation of nuclear power stations yesterday.

He told MPs that the threat of global warming meant that greater reliance on nuclear power could not be ruled out.

His words signal a shift in policy for the Labour Government.

In its energy white paper last year it avoided making any decisions on nuclear power plants and stressed instead the importance of renewable energy sources such as wind power.

But with the UK becoming a net importer of oil and gas over the next five years and most existing nuclear stations coming to the end of their lives over the next 20 years, he signalled that the issue was back on the table.

Mr Blair told the Liaison Committee of select committee chairmen: 'You cannot remove it (nuclear power) from the agenda if you are serious about the issue of climate change.' He endorsed the warning of the Government's chief scientific adviser, Sir David King, that climate change was a greater threat than terrorism. Mr Blair said: ' The Kyoto agreement amounts to effectively a 1 per cent reduction in emissions whereas the evidence we have is that we require a 60 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050.' He conceded Britain had disagreed with the U.S. over Kyoto, but said America now accepted the science behind Kyoto was right.

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