THE UK Government has used the distraction of Andy Burnham’s coronation and the row over defence spending to quietly push out a report that sets out where they would like to build new nuclear power plants in Scotland. However, it hasn’t gone unnoticed by energy experts.
The report from GB Energy Nuclear, titled “Technical Advice on Potential Future Nuclear Power Plant Siting in Scotland”, is suitably tentative – any new build would depend on the SNP making a complete about-turn on policy to allow the development of plants that Scottish planning legislation explicitly blocks.
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So, it’s no surprise that UK energy minister Michael Shanks continues to be very vocal on the subject, claiming that the Labour government is “delivering a golden age of nuclear in England and Wales” and that “sadly Scotland is missing out on the enormous economic and energy security potential”.
This is, of course, greenwash.
New nuclear power plants are consistently vastly behind schedule and over-budget, whilst Scotland’s renewable energy revolution continues to deliver ever greater contributions to meeting our energy demands.
Obviously, however, the nuclear industry is lining up behind Shanks.
Tom Greatrex, the chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, continues to parrot the claim that new nuclear supports communities and creates thousands of new jobs. Yet studies show that every pound invested in renewables creates two to three times more jobs than investing in nuclear.
However, this new report not only explicitly states where Labour would like to see new plants built, it also quietly notes the risks development at those sites would create for communities and our environment.
Whilst Torness, Dounreay, and Hunterston are earmarked, it also singles out the north shore of the Forth Estuary, the south bank of the Forth, and the Angus and Aberdeenshire coast. Note the common theme here – these are all coastal sites, variously flagged for risks to Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Special Protected Areas (SPAs), cultural heritage, and flooding risks. Those in Fife and Stirlingshire have particular reasons to be worried.
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Coastal management is a difficult and complex task as it is. As climate change brings increases in extreme weather events, coastal erosion, sea level rise, and storm surges, tough decisions are being made about which coastal areas will be defended, and how, and which will be subject to managed retreats that will provide greater resilience for communities and critical infrastructure.
Added to which, however we decide to manage one stretch of coastline will have impacts on other stretches. This is why we have a National Marine Plan. That work is hard enough without dropping in new security-critical sites that would exacerbate existing problems and make it even harder to manage and protect our often-fragile coastlines.
Furthermore, siting new plants further inland, for example along the Forth, is no less risky.
The report notes that demand for cooling water is likely to be a limiting factor, and that no supporting flow data for that part of the Forth is currently available. However, we are now seeing plants sited along major rivers in France curtailing generation as water supplies become increasingly limited as the country heats up. Opting for smaller modular reactors will only delay the time it takes nuclear to become non-viable, and opting for other sources of cooling will only drive up electricity demand.
Far from being “secure”, new nuclear will build in greater insecurity and costs to our electricity supply. If England, which has long lagged far behind Scotland in deploying renewables, wishes to take those risks that’s a matter for its own electorate. Scotland doesn’t need to follow suit, and no amount of scaremongering, cajoling, or false promises from Shanks or the nuclear industry should persuade our government to think otherwise.
Dr Keith Baker FRSA, Common Weal.
Dr Paul Dorfman, Bennett Scholar, Bennett Institute, University of Sussex.
Professor Peter Strachan, Aberdeen Business School, Robert Gordon University.
Dr Ian Fairlie, Vice President, CND.
Professor Lynn Jamieson, Chair, Scottish CND.
Gordon Morgan, Common Weal.
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