Responding to the announcement that a loan to British Energy has been extended and increased, Greenpeace spokesperson Emma Gibson said:
"Tony Blair has ducked an opportunity to finally deal with Britain's nuclear headache. It's time he faced up to the obvious fact that nuclear power simply does not work. He should stop pouring taxpayers cash into this black hole and start backing energy efficiency programmes and renewable technologies. That way we can have clean locally produced electricity while at the same time combating climate change.
She continued: "Nuclear power is the worst option for achieving both cuts in CO2 emissions and security of supply, as it diverts massive resources away from the real solution while leaving a radioactive waste legacy for generations to come."
Greenpeace believes the loan to be illegal and is currently investigating a legal challenge. Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has so far failed to respond to urgent letters demanding an explanation for why the loan has been made in an apparent breach of EU law governing competition.
Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255
