british energy

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.

Yet more problems surfaced for troubled generator British Energy today as the Government's nuclear safety inspectors revealed that huge gas circulator fans at the company's Torness plant were 'severely damaged and in pieces of various sizes' when the station was closed for safety reasons. The revelations have led to urgent calls for other reactors with identical components to also be closed. Campaigners accuse the company of 'putting cash before safety.'

European Commission did not approve loan to nuclear generator

Greenpeace and renewable energy provider Ecotricity have written to Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, challenging the legality of her recent decision to loan £10 million to stricken nuclear generator British Energy [1]. Greenpeace and Ecotricity have discovered that the cash bailout was made without European Commission approval - a flagrant breach of the law governing state aid - and are demanding that the money be repaid to the taxpayer immediately.

Commenting on the Government's announcement this morning of a £10 million pound loan to British Energy, Greenpeace campaigner Matthew Spencer said,
"This is another misuse of taxpayers' money which has more to do with protecting political careers than keeping the lights on. If the Government is serious about protecting the safety and security of the company's nuclear power stations it must make any loans conditional on the closure of those plants."

He continued,

New briefing reveals major problems with British Energy rescue proposals

Seventy two percent of the British public favour funding of wind power over the nuclear industry according to a MORI poll funded by Greenpeace [1]. The results lend weight to calls for the Government to reject special pleading by British Energy for a cash bailout and instead respond to calls from the renewable energy industry for comparable investments in offshore wind farms and domestic solar power.