The government has today approved 10 sites in England and Wales for new nuclear power stations, most of them in locations where there are already plants.

Commenting on the announcement Chemical Industries Association Chief Executive, Steve Elliott said, "the Government's announcement today of support for the rapid deployment of new nuclear power in the UK is extremely welcome. Without it, the country is already running a real risk of serious interruption to industrial energy supplies, so "the sooner the better" is the message from the UK chemical industry.

We do not believe there is an alternative to nuclear power in the medium term. The Large Combustion Plant Directive requires the imminent closure of several coal fired generating plants and the new Industrial Emissions Directive threatens to reduce capacity further before alternative sources of energy are in place. Wind power is simply too intermittent and unpredictable and requires almost 1 for 1 back up by more reliable alternatives. In addition, new coal powered generators are ruled out until carbon capture and storage technology is proven on a commercial scale and installing more gas fired capacity aggravates our dependency on imported gas.

It is essential that we start work now on building new nuclear facilities if we are to avoid damaging energy shortages in the UK. I hope Government's commitment to new build is not further compromised as delay will impact significantly on the UK's credibility as a place to do business."

Contact Name: Fiona Ferguson