british energy

British Energy owned Sizewell B: Greenpeace drop a banner during the site's occupation in October 2002

Responding to today's first reading of the Electricity (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill - which will enable government to increase their stake in British Energy and to make unlimited funds available to the company - Greenpeace Energy Campaigner Jim Footner said, 

Greenpeace and Ecotricity today announced that they were opening a new front against the British Government's support for ailing nuclear generator British Energy and taking its legal battle on to the European Court of Justice. They were earlier granted permission to judicially review the £50 million rescue aid from the Government to British Energy. They are now withdrawing from this case in order to be able to mount a full challenge in Europe, including seeking an annulment of the Commission's approval of the rescue aid.

Greenpeace today attacked the European Commission's decision to approve a UK Government loan of over £ billion to the failed nuclear power company British Energy.

The Commission has chosen to accept the UK Government's claims that the loan is required on grounds of safety and security of supply.

Greenpeace rejects these claims:

Experts to come together to review alternative options for UK energy system

Greenpeace has published an in depth study by independent energy experts, ILEX, which shows that all of British Energy's nuclear power stations could be closed in the next 2-3 years without the lights going out. This analysis undermines the government's main justification for its controversial £50 million loan of taxpayer's money to the failed private nuclear generator.

The High Court today gave Ecotricity and Greenpeace leave to proceed with a Judicial Review of the government's decision to loan £650 million of taxpayers money to private nuclear generator British Energy. The case will be heard the week of 27th January, 2003. 

British Energy's £50 million loan of taxpayer's money has been confirmed as illegal state aid by the European Commission. The UK Government's rescue package to save the failed private nuclear generator from financial meltdown is already the subject of legal action in the High Court by Greenpeace and renewable energy provider Ecotricity who want the money returned to the public purse.

Greenpeace and renewable energy provider Ecotricity have today begun legal action to stop the Government's £50 million bailout of the failed private nuclear generator British Energy and get the money repaid to the British taxpayer.