£70 billion bill for Nuclear Clean Up
29 March 2006
News that the cost of cleaning up the UK's nuclear power plants could be more than £70bn, a massive 25% increase on the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's previous estimate, has fuelled further opposition to introduction of a new wave of nuclear power stations.
Keith Taylor, Green Party Principal Speaker commented: "As the government try to sell us nuclear power as a catch all solution to volatile oil supplies and rising carbon emissions, the price keeps escalating - can we even trust this latest figure?"
"Just cleaning up the current generation of dirty nuclear power stations is astronomically expensive, costing 14 time more than the £5 billion the UK have spent on going to war in Iraq:
"Adding to that cost would be financial madness, and divert resources that would be better spent on energy efficiency and renewables.
"Nuclear power is dirty, dangerous and expensive. Were the UK to invest in a programme of greater energy efficiency, combined with a focus on renewable energy technology, we could create a safe and secure energy supply, withoutthe inherent dangers associated nuclear power and a carbon economy.
"Even judged solely along economic lines, seemingly Blair and Brown's only real concern, nuclear power just doesn't add up."
Keith Taylor will next week embark on a tour of the country - Dirty, Dangerous and Expensive, discussing nuclear power and the alternatives available. For further information please contact the press office.
