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Press release 09 March 2010
Jonathon Porritt to speak out against Hinkley C
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The famous environmentalist Jonathon Porritt will speak out against building new reactors at Hinkley Point in a public meeting in Taunton 's Temple Methodist Church next Tuesday, 16th March.
Jonathon Porritt has a long and respected track record on environmental issues, heading groups such as Friends of the Earth, The Sustainable Development Commission and Forum for the Future.
In his role as Chairman of the Government advisory group, the Sustainable Development Commission, he came down heavily against nuclear power as a means to mitigate Climate Change or to bridge the forecast energy gap.
In a recent statement to Stop Hinkley he said: "Today's new-found enthusiasm for nuclear power is entirely inappropriate. By far the best way of addressing both our climate change and energy security objectives is to focus single-mindedly on energy efficiency and renewables. The politicians keep on saying that's what they want to do, but they just don't. We don't need nuclear power, and we certainly don't need the nuclear waste it leaves behind."
In 2008 the Sustainable Development Commission, under Jonathon's leadership, published a scathing report on new nuclear power in response to the Government's Energy Review. The report, "Nuclear power in a low carbon economy" (1) identifies five major disadvantages to nuclear power:
| 1. Long-term waste - no long term solutions are yet available, let alone acceptable to the general public; it is impossible to guarantee safety over the long-term disposal of waste. |
| 2. Cost - the economics of nuclear new-build are highly uncertain. There is little, if any, justification for public subsidy, but if estimated costs escalate, there's a clear risk that the taxpayer will be have to pick up the tab. |
| 3. Inflexibility - nuclear would lock the UK into a centralised distribution system for the next 50 years, at exactly the time when opportunities for microgeneration and local distribution network are stronger than ever. |
| 4. Undermining energy efficiency - a new nuclear programme would give out the wrong signal to consumers and businesses, implying that a major technological fix is all that's required, weakening the urgent action needed on energy efficiency. |
| 5. International security - if the UK brings forward a new nuclear power programme, we cannot deny other countries the same technology*. With lower safety standards, they run higher risks of accidents, radiation exposure, proliferation and terrorist attacks |
It went on to say that even if all existing nuclear generation was replaced with new nuclear, it would reduce the UK 's carbon emissions by a mere four percent.
Jonathon has joined many leading academics and politicians in signing a petition calling for a public inquiry into the Justification for new nuclear build. This will be debated at the Palace of Westminster on 11th March.
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Serious design flaw could lead to Chernobyl accident
The Taunton meeting is due to occur as the Guardian reports that the reactor type slated for Hinkley C has a serious design flaw which could produce a Chernobyl type explosion. The European Pressurised Reactor proposed by EdF for Hinkley has a mechanism which allows it to respond quickly to electricity demand from the grid. But this mechanism has been showed in internal papers to be flawed, allowing control rods to be ejected from their slots, breaching the reactor chamber and causing a loss of coolant accident which could escalate. (2)
Jim Duffy, spokesman for Stop Hinkley, said: "We are discovering one glitch after another concerning these reactors. This seems to be the most serious so far and requires answers from EdF as to why the flaws were not revealed by them but by concerned employees. Taken together with Jonathon Porritt's sound arguments against nuclear power there are firm grounds for stopping the nuclear juggernaut before we are too committed to this dangerous technology."
Jim Duffy, 07798 666756
| Notes: | |
| (1) | http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/news.php/43/main/is-nuclear-the-answer |
| (2) | http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/mar/07/edf-nuclear-reactor-chernobyl-risk |
Jonathan Porritt explains why nuclear plans are totally wrong. A new nuclear power station at Hinkley point is not needed and would leave an unacceptable legacy to future generations. Jonathon Porritt voiced his views to a packed meeting of local anti-nuclear campaigners who are opposing the Somerset scheme. If the video is blocked by your computer, click here to see part of Jonathon Porritt's talk on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RlacFBIlew
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Page Updated 17-May-2010 |