Lembit Öpik, a member of that rare breed know as the Liberal Democrat MP and perhaps more famous for dumping Siân Lloyd in favour of a pencil thin Cheeky Girl than for his great works in the public service which include being in the forefront of warning Earth against the next asteroid strike via Spaceguard, has added his weight to the nuclear debate by calling for yet another nuclear consultation just as the whole country thought the whole interminable “consultation” process was finally winding up and we could move on the importation task of actually building the bloomin’ things! With impeccable timing matching his new found girlfriend’s ability to pitch a note, Öpik has thrown his two bob into the nuclear circus ring just as British Energy was announcing its decision to begin feasibility studies into a host of sites around these islands where the next generation of nuclear power stations would arise.
Already the government has completed TWO long drawn-out consultations – the most recent after a raft of Green NGO’s led by Greenpeace and including the likes of CND had mounted a legal challenge against the first after they had withdrawn from the discussions.
"British Energy is preparing for what seems to be an inevitable government announcement that new nuclear power stations will be built," said Öpik.
"Ministers have decided that they want new power stations, irrelevant of the evidence.
"While British Energy is entitled to do what it thinks best, its decision appears to indicate the government has already made up its mind.
"Nothing is more damaging to the credibility of the consultation than the feeling that the public are being ignored by ministers," he said.
British Energy have announced they are having preliminary looks at a quartet sites in the south of England – Sizewell in Suffolk, Hinkley Point on the Somerset coast, Dungeness at the far foot of Kent and Bradwell in Essex, and have entered transmission connection agreements with National Grid from 2016 onwards. It said it had already reached agreement with the National Grid to create extra capacity for up to 10GW generated at the sites, starting in 2016. The firm also singled out Heysham in Lancashire, Torness in East Lothian, Hunterson in Ayrshire and Hartlepool as possible locations.
Already the government has completed TWO long drawn-out consultations – the most recent after a raft of Green NGO’s led by Greenpeace and including the likes of CND had mounted a legal challenge against the first after they had withdrawn from the discussions.
"British Energy is preparing for what seems to be an inevitable government announcement that new nuclear power stations will be built," said Öpik.
"Ministers have decided that they want new power stations, irrelevant of the evidence.
"While British Energy is entitled to do what it thinks best, its decision appears to indicate the government has already made up its mind.
"Nothing is more damaging to the credibility of the consultation than the feeling that the public are being ignored by ministers," he said.
British Energy have announced they are having preliminary looks at a quartet sites in the south of England – Sizewell in Suffolk, Hinkley Point on the Somerset coast, Dungeness at the far foot of Kent and Bradwell in Essex, and have entered transmission connection agreements with National Grid from 2016 onwards. It said it had already reached agreement with the National Grid to create extra capacity for up to 10GW generated at the sites, starting in 2016. The firm also singled out Heysham in Lancashire, Torness in East Lothian, Hunterson in Ayrshire and Hartlepool as possible locations.
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