Debate Intensifies Over Scotland's Nuclear Energy Future

"...Be under no illusion, Shanks, Sarwar and the nuclear lobby are building a Potemkin village, a deceptive, impressive facade...."

"...They of course don’t want to talk about the European Power Reactor (EPR) configuration being installed at astronomical cost at Hinkley C...."

"...This project is forecast to cost around £45 billion when it finally comes online sometime next decade...."

"...It is not easy to get a proper sense of this sum but it might surprise people to realise that this is the equivalent of paying £1 million every single day for 120 years – and this is just the construction cost...."

"...We have not even started talking about operational costs, asset management and asset decommissioning...."

"...When Julia Pyke, the managing director of Sizewell C, was asked by the BBC how the project was going, she answered airily that it is “on schedule and within budget”...."

"...I waited eagerly for the obvious follow-up question – what is the budget and schedule? – but that never came...."

"...If the Sizewell C construction consortium defies recent construction trends and achieve a 10% saving relative to Hinkley C, that would still indicate a £40bn project cost – which is enough to build 130 hospitals similar to, for example, Forth Valley Royal Hospital...."

"...The supporters of nuclear energy tell us that we need these plants for baseload capacity...."

"...They fail to acknowledge that in Scotland we already generate more capacity from renewables than we consume – and this surplus is only going to grow as we continue to see more investment in wind, solar, tidal and energy storage...."

"...“What about intermittency and the lack of system inertia?” is the nuclear advocates’ stock question when discussing the growth of renewables...."

"...This is a legitimate question but the answer is beautifully simple – we will continue to do what we do now, rely on combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGTs)...."

"...Which is reassuring as there will be no nuclear plant coming on stream anytime soon...."

"...“But what about net zero?” might be the next question...."

"...Thankfully, there are a raft of solutions to this currently available and more coming on stream every week...."

"...For example, gas turbine manufacturers are building on 50 years of experience of burning hydrogen and will be ready to burn hydrogen or blended hydrogen/methane as quickly as the hydrogen market can come on stream...."

"...My prediction is that the hydrogen market will come on stream faster than any SMRs can be built – and if UK politicians had a strategic bone in their bodies, they would be trying to beat our friends in Europe to win the hydrogen race...."

"...However, as we have seen with HS2 and the third runway at Heathrow, they will carry on with their blundering plans to build new nuclear...."

"...This brings us to the final question that is not asked of nuclear-supporting friends in the Labour and Tory parties...."

"...How will they reduce the cost of energy when they are committed to this ruinously expensive nuclear build programme?..."

"...The UK Government has no answer to this – and this is why the Scottish Government must keep in place the moratorium on new nuclear in Scotland and continue their support of renewables such as tidal power and also fully commit to its Hydrogen Action Plan...."