Difference between revisions of "Nuclear academics open letter to Sunday Telegraph April 2013"
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'''Sunday Telegraph - 21st April 2013''' | '''Sunday Telegraph - 21st April 2013''' | ||
− | SIR – At the end of last month, the then Government Chief Scientific Advisor, Professor Sir John Beddington, set out a long-term vision for the critical role of nuclear energy in Britain’s future low-carbon energy mix. | + | SIR – At the end of last month, the then Government Chief Scientific Advisor, Professor Sir [[John Beddington]], set out a long-term vision for the critical role of nuclear energy in Britain’s future low-carbon energy mix. |
The Government also published its nuclear industrial strategy, aiming to expand Britain’s contribution to its domestic nuclear programmes, enhance international business, drive innovation through research and development and develop nuclear skills. | The Government also published its nuclear industrial strategy, aiming to expand Britain’s contribution to its domestic nuclear programmes, enhance international business, drive innovation through research and development and develop nuclear skills. |
Latest revision as of 11:45, 30 October 2013
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This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch. |
In April 2013 a group of leading academics signed a Letter to the Editor of the Sunday Telegraph calling for the UK Government to move forward on its plans for a new generation of nuclear plants. They expressed concern that negotiations over Hinkley Point C were moving to slowly.
Contents
The Letter
The Government should not delay on its nuclear power plans
Sunday Telegraph - 21st April 2013
SIR – At the end of last month, the then Government Chief Scientific Advisor, Professor Sir John Beddington, set out a long-term vision for the critical role of nuclear energy in Britain’s future low-carbon energy mix.
The Government also published its nuclear industrial strategy, aiming to expand Britain’s contribution to its domestic nuclear programmes, enhance international business, drive innovation through research and development and develop nuclear skills.
At around the same time Ed Davey granted planning consent for Hinkley Point C, marking a significant step towards realising a new nuclear programme in Britain.
Nuclear energy brings significant public health and environmental benefits. Hinkley Point C alone will save more than 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year if replacing gas.
Building a fleet of new nuclear power stations rather than one reactor at a time will lead to considerable economies of scale and lower costs for consumers. It will also provide the reliable, secure, low-carbon energy urgently needed in this country.
However, we are becoming increasingly concerned at the apparent slow progress of negotiations between the Government and EDF Energy for Hinkley Point C, and we fear this aspiration could be undermined if a deal on the pioneer project is not resolved satisfactorily.
Signatories
Professor Sir David King Former Chief Scientific Adviser to HM Government
Professor Dame Sue Ion Independent Consultant
Dr Malcolm Grimston Honorary Senior Research Fellow, ICEPT Imperial College
Professor Simon Biggs FREng Professor of Particle Science & Engineering University of Leeds
Professor Jon Billowes Professor of Nuclear Physics The University of Manchester
Professor Colin Boxall The Lloyd's Register Foundation Chair in Nuclear Engineering and Decommissioning Lancaster University
Professor David Cope University of Cambridge
Professor Michael Fitzpatrick Lloyd's Register Foundation Chair in Materials Fabrication and Engineering The Open University
Professor Martin Freer Director, Birmingham Centre for Nuclear Education and Research University of Birmingham
Professor Chris Grovenor Co-Director, Bristol/Oxford Nuclear Research Centre University of Oxford
Professor Neil Hyatt Professor of Radioactive Waste Management The University of Sheffield
Professor Malcolm Joyce Head of Engineering Department Lancaster University
Professor Bill Lee FREng Director of Centre for Nuclear Engineering Imperial College London
Professor Francis Livens Professor of Radiochemistry The University of Manchester
Professor David M G Newbery Emeritus Professor of Economics University of Cambridge
Dr Geoff Parks Cambridge Nuclear Energy Centre University of Cambridge
Professor Patrick H Regan Department of Physics University of Surrey
Professor Gerry Thomas Chair in Molecular Pathology Imperial College London
Notes
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