UK government says Blair undecided on nuclear despite reports

UK government says Blair undecided on nuclear despite reports

London (Platts)--28Apr2006

UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has not reached a firm decision to support a
new generation of nuclear power plants, despite a newspaper report to the
contrary Friday, Downing Street's senior press officer Brendan O'Grady said.

According to the "Financial Times," Blair believes it will be impossible
to make up for the shortfall produced by the decommissioning of the UK's
nuclear plants through other clean technologies such as wind or clean coal.

"We've not said that," O'Grady said, adding that Blair had not yet
reached any firm decision on nuclear power. "The Energy Review process is
still ongoing, and will report in the summer, although the consultation period
is now over," he said.

The newspaper said that although Blair expected most of the ruling Labour
Party to support him in his decision, he is uncertain of the position towards
nuclear of Chancellor Gordon Brown, his expected successor.

Last year, the Treasury, which is Brown's department, began a study of
the costs of clean coal. It remains unclear whether the department will use
that study to propound clean coal as an alternative to nuclear or to impugn
the technology's commercial viability.

Nuclear power currently provides 20% of the country's electricity supply,
but many of the plants will reach the end of their life within the next decade
or so.

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http://nucweek.platts.com.

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