May 22 - Scotland on Sunday

Tony Blair's controversial bid to build a new generation of nuclear power stations is set to bypass Scotland.

Senior government sources say that nuclear power suppliers have all but ruled out Scotland as a site for any new stations because of the prohibitive cost of transporting energy to England.

The costs have escalated following the introduction of a new charging system penalising power stations in remote areas, which lose electricity during transmission.

OfGem, Britain's electricity regulator, wants to encourage generators to locate nearer to the UK's main population sources to increase efficiency.

A senior Scottish Executive source told Scotland on Sunday: "In the current commercial environment, they simply won't be built up here."

Scotland on Sunday also understands that ministers in Whitehall are planning to 'fast-track' the new stations by watering down existing controls.

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