Tuesday, 22nd December 2009
Scots Tory MEP welcomes CEA’s consideration of building nuclear power stations
Dear Sir,
The Council of Economic Advisers' announcement that it will consider building new nuclear power stations as part of Scotland’s future energy generation mix is most welcome.
The SNP government's almost total reliance on renewables is unrealistic and unworkable. The UK Government has ten sites for new nuclear plants identified in England and Wales. Scotland has none. Instead, the Scottish Government is throwing everything into a mad stampede for on-shore wind power, leaving our renowned landscape bristling with giant turbines. The ‘load factor’ for wind turbines in Scotland is less than 30%, so they produce energy at their maximum level for less than one third of their operating life.
Baseload backup is essential if we are to avoid future blackouts and relying on high C02 emitting coal or gas fired power stations for baseload is no longer acceptable. That is why nuclear power has a key role to play in a low carbon future for Scotland.
The Scottish Government must see sense and appreciate that a mix of renewables and nuclear energy is what is needed to meet Scotland’s future energy demands.
Yours faithfully
Struan Stevenson MEP
