Nuclear Power Starts to Regain Support
Posted on: January 20th, 2012 by Jason Drew
After the Fukushima nuclear meltdown that happened in Japan, nuclear energy has been losing support. However, new reports now show that this industry is once again starting to bounce back. This information was brought to light by a new Ipsos MORI poll. Apparently, almost 1,000 Brits questioned supporting the building of new nuclear plants in the UK. This means, that about 50 percent of the people who took part in the survey supported nuclear energy.
Apparently, the people who are for nuclear energy want to see new nuclear plants put up to replace the ones being taken down. This figure was up significantly from last June. In fact, the last poll showed that only about 36 percent of people supported nuclear power after the Japanese earthquake, which crippled the Fukushima power plant.
Recently it was announced by the UK government that it plans to build a series of new reactors on or next to existing nuclear sites. These new plants are going to be replacing the sites that are being phased out over the next five years. These new plants are supposed to help ensure secure electricity supplies while helping cut carbon emissions. As of right now, nuclear power only supplies about a fifth of all the UK’s electricity needs. This is a number that the government believes that it can improve on.
There are some people who feel nuclear power should be phased out. However, in recent months, the support for nuclear power is once again improving. Robert Knight, who is the director of Ipsos MORI’s reputation center, said that after the body blow suffered by British public opinion following the events at Fukushima in Japan last year, support for nuclear power plants has finally started to build back up.
Mr. Knight went on to say, it seems that the public sees Japan as a long way away. Not only that, but memories seem short on this matter. Either way, concerns about the future security of energy supply seem to be hitting closer to home than the nuclear meltdown that happened in Japan last year.
What Mr. Knight is saying is very true. When the events of Fukushima first happened, people were ready to drop nuclear energy. However, now that energy bills have increased so rapidly, they seem to be ready to give it a second chance. The nuclear power industry, at least in Britain, is far from over.
