Together Against Sizewell C (TASC)’s response to Prime Minister 6th February announcement ‘Government rips up rules to fire-up nuclear power’
TASC Chair, Jenny Kirtley said, “Starmer’s statement is appalling, full of soundbites fuelled by the pro-nuclear lobbyists – many of whom already have their ‘snouts in the trough’- spouted by a clueless government blaming ‘blockers’ to divert attention away from the evidence that nuclear is not cheap, quick to deploy, homegrown nor clean.
“Neither ‘blockers nor regulations slowed Sizewell C- that’s down to EDF’s incompetent plans, siting their flawed EPR reactor design on one of Europe’s fastest eroding coastlines with no final design of sea defences, an incomplete nuclear site safety case and located in the UK’s driest drought-prone region, Sizewell C still has no guaranteed sustainable supply of mains water, essential for its 60yrs of operation. It’s no wonder investors are running scared from Sizewell C as should be this Labour government, who should be serving the people, not big business.
“Starmer rightly says we have been “held hostage” by Putin for “too long” but perversely then promotes nuclear, a technology that relies on uranium, a mineral absent from the UK. Although it is the UK’s intention to ban Russian uranium from use in UK reactors from 2030, the UK will be competing for supplies in a market currently dominated by Russia. With renewables, we already have technologies that are cheaper, quicker to deploy and cleaner than nuclear, yet Labour favours slow nuclear, meaning that fossil fuels will burn longer.”
