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Nuclear aims urged to go on
THE GOVERNMENT has been urged to press ahead with its programme for building new nuclear power stations - regardless of who ends up owning British Energy.
Today is the deadline for the Government to receive bids for its 35% stake in BE, which owns the nuclear plant at Hartlepool, and it is thought a deal could trigger a full takeover of the company.
But Steve Metcalfe, regional director of design and engineering consultancy firm at the Middlesbrough office of Scott Wilson, which specialises in energy plants, believes a bidding war should not delay the urgent need to kick-start the nuclear programme, which could bring thousands of jobs to the Tees Valley.
He said: “The UK hasn’t been pursuing an aggressive nuclear power policy for decades, and now we are behind the game.
“If a bidder is not found it might delay the start of the programme as the Government works out how to finance it. We will have to buy in expertise from abroad but we have the skills locally to deliver the new stations.”
The Government has said it will not finance the nuclear programme, making an early deal crucial if it is to achieve its planned targets.
Earlier this week three potential bidders revealed they were not planning to pursue their interest in BE, leaving Germany’s RWE and French company EDF front-runners to snap up the 35% stake.
Swedish state-owned energy firm Vattenfall, Franco-Belgian utility Suez and German’s Eon, have all been in talks with British Energy, which is currently valued at around £12.2bn.
On Teesside, opinion is divided over the value of nuclear power to local economies and its impact on the environment.
Some claim the stations could generate millions of pounds of new business for a highly skilled Tees supply chain, as well as significant environmental benefits through decreased use of oil and gas.
But others believe the energy agenda should focus more on developing sophisticated technologies to create energy efficiency solutions. Carbon capture and waste storage technologies could form a crucial part of the strategy to tackle climate change.
