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Ten nuclear power stations could be fast-tracked |
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10 Nov 2009, 5:59 PM
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Six National Policy Statements have been published this week - one overarching and one for each of the following areas: fossil fuels, nuclear, renewables, transmission networks and oil and gas pipelines - alongside the Government's final Framework for the Development of Clean Coal. The statements will be used to inform the decisions of the newly established Infrastructure Planning Commission, which can then fast track major schemes through the planning process.
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Despite this, the Energy National Policy Statements will be subject to an extensive 15 week consultation between the 9th November and the 22nd February. The government say this will provide an opportunity for the public to influence and comment on these draft NPS at a national and local level. Parliamentary scrutiny will follow the conclusion of this consultation. For more information on the draft energy NPSs and its associated consultation programme please visit: www.energynpsconsultation.decc.gov.uk
The Statement which deals with Nuclear power is the only NPS which has sites already in view. Ten of the eleven sites nominated by industry in March have been assessed as potentially suitable for new nuclear deployment by the end of 2025:
Bradwell, Essex
Braystones, Cumbria
Hartlepool
Heysham, Lancashire
Hinckley Point, Somerset
Kirksanton, Cumbria
Oldbury, South Gloucestershire
Sellafield, Cumbria
Sizewell, Suffolk
Wylfa, north Wales.
Dungeness was nominated but has not been listed as the Government does not consider that potential environmental impacts at this site can be mitigated. The Government also has concerns about coastal erosion and associated flood risk at that nominated site.
Following a rigorous independent study in line with the Habitats Directive, three alternative sites were identified as worthy of further consideration: Druridge Bay in Northumberland, Kingsnorth in Kent and Owston Ferry in South Yorkshire. But none have made it onto the shortlist.
A consultation on the Secretary of State's proposed decision that two nuclear power station designs are Justified under the Justification of Practices Involving Ionising Radiation Regulations 2004 has also been launched. The benefits and health detriments of each of the two designs have been assessed and the Secretary of State has considered whether they are Justified according to EU legislation.
The consultation seeks views on the proposed decision, and the evidence on which it is based.
Energy secretary, Ed Miliband, said: “The threat of climate change means we need to make a transition from a system that relies heavily on high carbon fossil fuels, to a radically different system that includes nuclear, renewable and clean coal power.
“The current planning system is a barrier to this shift. It serves neither the interests of energy security, the interests of the low carbon transition, nor the interests of people living in areas where infrastructure may be built, for the planning process to take years to come to a decision. That is why we are undertaking fundamental reform of the planning system which will result in a more efficient, transparent and accessible process.”
Miliband also announced a programme for four large-scale carbon capture and storage projects, to be funded through a levy on electricity bills.
Commenting on the news, Friends of the Earth's planning coordinator Naomi Luhde-Thompson said:
"The planning system needs urgent reform to enable this country to develop a low-carbon economy - but Government attempts to speed up the approval process mustn't undermine UK action on climate change. The effect of these policy statements on the UK's legally-binding carbon budgets is crucial - individual decisions on power stations and roads must only be made if the cumulative impact that they have on total carbon emissions has been properly considered.
"The Government's obsession with building new nuclear reactors is a dangerous and expensive distraction, creating a legacy of radioactive waste that will remain highly dangerous for thousands of years and cost tax-payers billions of pounds to manage. We should be investing in the UK's huge renewable energy potential and slashing energy waste, creating thousands of new jobs, meeting our energy needs and securing a safer, cleaner future for us all."
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