Nuclear power decision by end of year

A firm decision on a new generation of nuclear power stations must be made by the end of the year, industry secretary Alistair Darling said this week.

Launching the government’s energy white paper, Darling said that while the government was committed to increasing other forms of renewable energy, that alone “would not be enough.” A final consultation on nuclear power, launched this week, will run until October.

Darling confirmed the government’s position that the private sector should be responsible for financing the construction and operation of nuclear power stations. Although he again stopped short of revealing a time plan for nuclear new build, saying that the consultation needed to be complete before a final decision was taken, he said that realistically a decision needed to be reached by the end of the year to allow adequate time for the construction process.