Two firms required for next generation nuclear reactors

The United Kingdom will need at the minimum two firms or nuclear power plant operators to operate the new generation of nuclear power plants. This was said by John Hutton, the Business Secretary in the United Kingdom government.

The statement of the Business Secretary will bring to an end the speculation which has been rife that Electricite de France or EDF which is the energy utility from France that has indicated interest in acquiring the thirty five per cent shareholding that that the United Kingdom government has in British Energy would have monopolistic control over the nuclear energy sector in the United Kingdom.

The Business Secretary could not be brought to revealed the preference over who should win the bid for British Energy. A week ago British Energy let it be known that they were not happy with the bids which had been received because they were too low.

John Hutton however made a promise to bring down the opposition in his party Labour which is not cooperating on a planning bill involving huge infrastructure projects such as new power plants. He vowed that the bill must go through and that the government would not relent no matter how much opposition they received.

The Business Secretary also disclosed that there was a possibility that the next generation of nuclear reactors might have to be developed in new sites or close the already exiting nuclear energy power plants.

John Hutton also made it clear that the plan of the government was not merely to replace the existing reactors but to add the capacity of nuclear power generation as well in a big way.