SONE - Supporters of Nuclear Energy - Letter to The Scotsman

Main Menu

Podcasts
Podcast XML RSS

Syndicate
Supporters Of Nuclear Energy (SONE)

For more information about SONE... Click to download pdf

Letter to The Scotsman

Written by Alan Shaw
Monday, 23 March 2009
Why is Scotland (and the UK ) not following the example of France? In 1973 France found itself vulnerable to overseas oil price hikes.The French government and its engineers worked together on this problem. They decided on a radical switch to nuclear energy for energy security reasons. They were completely focused. Not only did they choose the PWR, they grouped these reactors into three sizes, 900, 1300 and 1450 MWe. There was, or is, no talk whatsoever of "microgeneration". The French are engineers and understand fully the economies of scale. The 1450 MWe class reactors have since been upsized. They are now being followed by 1650 MWe units. As the result of such engineer and politician-supported, single-minded policies France today generates around 80 per cent of its total electricity from nuclear power. Most of the remaining plant is hydro. They have the lowest carbon footprint in Europe if not the world. They have an average electricity generation cost among the cheapest in Europe. We only need to follow their lead. Meanwhile, in Scotland and the UK, our obsessionally "green" politicians avoid all engineering advice. They instead feverishly campaign for impossibly high percentages of uneconomic and system destabilising wind turbines. They clamour for the ruinously expensive reinforcement of our supergrid, because the best wind is in the north and the main electricity demand is in the south. They should be shutting down wind and expediting and expanding the nuclear power programme on an urgent basis. Little else is necessary other than supergrid reinforcement for larger generating units in the nuclear power stations which French and German companies are willing to finance. Scotland and rest of UK foolish not to follow France's nuclear energy example 23 March 2009

< Previous		Next >

[ Back ]

Nuclear Bulletin

Join SONE

We need your support

To become a member of SONE download the application form by clicking the button below

Downloads

Because of successive changes, much of SONE's literature gives incorrect information about contacting us. The Acting Secretary is Sir Bernard Ingham at:

9 Monahan Avenue
Purley
Surrey
CR8 3BB

Tel: 020 8660 8970
Mobile: 07860 535962
Email: sec@sone.org.uk

Key SONE downloads: