Nuclear power is indispensable to UK
Posted on: September 19th, 2008 by Lynnette Adamson
John Hutton, the Business Secretary believes that nuclear power is indispensable to the energy requirement of United Kingdom. Speaking at Nuclear Development Forum on September 18, he expressed government’s wholehearted support for upcoming nuclear power projects.
He said that nuclear power plants will help in reducing carbon emissions and dependence on gas and oil imports.
UK government has recently set up an office to enable creation of suitable conditions for upcoming nuclear power projects. John Hutton expressed his full support towards installation of new nuclear power plants. According to him, it will create more than 100,000 new jobs and bring in investment from private sector in excess of 20 billion pounds. Resurgence of nuclear power is already happening all around the world. Britain stands to gain from this renewed interest in nuclear energy power generation.
According to official figures, China plans to install 24 more nuclear plants. Another 76 are in proposal stage. Being at the forefront of nuclear technology, British companies are ideally placed to provide the necessary skills and equipment. But nuclear renaissance will also bring in competition. So UK has to ensure its competitiveness. There is need for a focussed effort towards its building capacity as well as capability to grasp the upcoming opportunities in nuclear field. The government will play its role in facilitating the right environment for British companies.
The new nuclear development office will play a pivotal role in ensuring nuclear power development within Britain as well as abroad. It will fill gaps in capability of British companies in terms of development of operators and vendors. It will also oversee the supply chain management.
