Britain unveils plan for 10 new nuclear power stations

The British government has announced a huge expansion of nuclear power stations, naming 10 sites in England and Wales as suitable for new power stations, Britain's Sky News reported on Monday.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband told the Commons that there would be no new coal-fired power stations unless they were fitted with carbon capture and storage technology.

The reports said 10 sites in England and Wales have been identified for possible new power stations by 2025 and planning laws will be changed to allow the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) to speed up the projects.

Miliband said a streamlined planning process would mean a clear timetable of one year from the acceptance of an application to a decision.

Sky News quoted Miliband as saying: "When I look at the needs of our country, whether it is to keep the lights on or have energy security, I see that we need planning reform and we need new nuclear power stations, new renewable power stations and new clean coal technology."

He added: "When I look at the threat to our children and their children from climate change, I think the challenges for nuclear can be overcome and that we will be able to make the transition we need to meet our green energy needs."

But environmental groups are disappointed at the prospect of new nuclear power stations, saying that nuclear is a dangerous and expensive irrelevance to tackling climate change and providing real energy security.

Britain currently gets 15 percent of its electricity from nuclear energy but wants to increase the figure to at least 25 percent.

Source: Xinhua