Government Nuclear Advisers Say Waste Problem Will Not be Solved
Thu., January 26, 2006. 10:07.
CoRWM outline report kills McConnell hopes of 'resolution'
The Government's own nuclear waste advisers, the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CORWM), have concluded in an outline report that "If Ministers accept our recommendations, the UK's nuclear waste problem is not solved."(1)
If Scottish Ministers stick to their commitment that no new nuclear power stations would be supported in Scotland until the nuclear waste problem is solved, then the admission puts the Scottish Executive on a collision course with gung-ho pro nuclear campaigning UK Ministers and Tony Blair.
Chris Ballance MSP said: "The admission in this document reveals that Jack McConnell will never be able to justify a new nuclear reactor this side of the May 2007 election, and it exposes the arrant nonsense that proposals to manage the nuclear waste legacy could possibly be described as 'solving' the problem. On top of the costs, dangers, risks and a failure to truly tackle climate change - nuclear power creates waste that is not going to be magicked away by the CORWM report.
"We hope that Labour MSPs, and indeed MSPs of all parties who are pro-nuclear, will consider the reality of waste management and not continue to hide behind the idea that they expect CORWM to give a green light to nuclear power just because a waste dump of one sort or another is proposed. Whether Jack McConnell will be able to stand up to Blair and Brown is another matter and we will continue to examine the nuclear question maturely. It shows that we are still a very long way from resolving the problem of existing waste, never mind creating more."
Scottish Greens now look forward to a mature debate about the many other problem areas for the advocates of nuclear energy including the costs, safety, security, nuclear proliferation, fuel sourcing and the significant carbon emissions from the nuclear power process all the way from the uranium mine to the construction of stations and the waste dump.
Greens advocate energy efficiency as the top priority for addressing energy issues, as well as more investment in the full range of renewable energy technologies. They say that nuclear power will not tackle climate change and that because electricity is only around 20% of our total energy demand, there is also a major challenge to address other carbon pollution sources such as transport.
Notes
1. The report says:
Paragraph 64 :"If Ministers accept our recommendations, the UK's nuclear waste problem is not solved. Having a strategy is a start. The real challenge follows."
Extracts from description of status of the report: "The Committee is currently completing the third and final phase of its programme: assessing its short-listed options for managing the UK's radioactive waste and recommending the best option or combination to Government. It decided in autumn 2005 to start preparing its final report, beginning with an outline and introductory Chapters, then progressively adding more material, starting with its work to date and ending with its final conclusions and recommendations. This is the current version of the report."
Contact the Scottish Greens' press team on 07909 933 074.