No Fast Track for Nuclear Power Plants in Scotland

Jul 07 - Scotsman, The

Scotland's chances of becoming the home for new nuclear power stations receded yesterday when it emerged that the planning process would be streamlined to fast-track the development of new stations - but only in England.

Alistair Darling, the Trade and Industry Secretary, said he wanted to reform the English planning process to give the government the power to overrule councils, if necessary, and drive ahead with new nuclear power stations.

A spokesman for Jack McConnell, the First Minister, stressed that this would not happen in Scotland and that there would be a full public consultation before the planning process even got started, if any applications were made to build new nuclear stations in Scotland.

Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, has signalled his support for new nuclear stations to prevent the UK becoming too dependent on imported gas and coal.

But Mr McConnell has been reluctant to follow the same path, principally because the Liberal Democrats in the Scottish Executive are totally opposed to the prospect of any new nuclear stations in Scotland.

The First Minister has tried to establish a compromise, officially keeping "options open" for new nuclear plants but trying to push both renewables and the existing stations as far as possible in the hope that new nuclear stations will not be needed.

Sources close to the First Minister have said Mr McConnell does not actually expect any companies to apply to build new nuclear stations in Scotland because it would not be economic for them to do so.

This general scepticism about a new generation of nuclear stations was amplified by the Executive's flat rejection of Mr Darling's defiant pro-nuclear statement yesterday.

With the results of the government's energy review just a week away, Mr Darling said that he wanted to "make it easier for people to replace power plants that are going out of commission and to meet our energy needs".

He added: "We need to streamline the planning laws for big infrastructure projects. We need to move to the stage, where, basically, the government needs to publish a statement of need."

Too many big power projects, wind farms and transmission lines had become bogged down in long inquiries or blocked, he said.

A White Paper would consult on making it impossible for councils to reject power plants on the grounds that they were not needed.

A spokesman for the First Minister made it clear that, although the planning system in Scotland was being reformed, it was not being changed to help the nuclear industry.

He said that ministers would launch a public consultation on any applications to build new nuclear stations in Scotland, before the planning process even got started.

This will have the effect of delaying the decision-making process and putting an extra barrier in the way of new nuclear stations.

The spokesman added: "There would need to be a proper process to justify any decision that ministers made and that would take account of the public's views."