Greenpeace condemns plans for new nuclear construction

London (Nuclear News Flashes)--14Jan2004

Greenpeace condemned U.K. proposals to promote new nuclear construction. The environmental group claimed that amendments to the Energy Bill to be debated in the House of Lords Jan. 16 called for the soon-to-be-established nuclear cleanup body, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, to be charged with developing plans to design and construct new nuclear reactors. Greenpeace also called on the government to remove from the Energy Bill provisions which it claimed would allow taxpayers to fund the nuclear waste and decommissioning liabilities of future private nuclear operators. "The idea that our energy policy for the 21st century should involve building more nuclear power stations and using taxpayers' money to fund their liabilities and waste is obscene," said nuclear campaigner Jean McSorley. The Energy Bill is making its way through the House of Lords, where the committee debate is expected to last until late February. It will then be introduced into the House of Commons.