With a £4 billion ‘black hole’ recently discovered in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (DCA) budget, the chances of a third nuclear reactor at Heysham are becoming increasingly remote.
In a report by The Guardian on Tuesday 1 June, Energy Secretary Chris Huhne was quoted as saying, “what we are effectively paying for here is decades of cheap nuclear electricity for which we have suddenly got a massive postdated bill.
“A lot of it is spent fuel, and was not dealt with at the time. It is a classic example of short-termism. I cannot think of a better example of a failure to take a decision in the short run costing the taxpayer a hell of a lot more in the long run.”
The Liberal Conservative Coalition agreement states that Lib Dems will abstain from voting against new nuclear reactors provided they receive no further overt or hidden public subsidy.
French energy company EDF has relied on its PR chief Andrew Brown (brother to Gordon) to sell its scheme to the UK but this strategy may not wash with the new government.
For new build reactors to go ahead would require a massive hike in electricity prices to cover future decommissioning costs. It isn’t clear how much decommissioning the current generation of reactors will finally cost (as the deficit is only calculated for the next 4 years but the costs will run indefinitely) but the bulk of the current liability falls to the taxpayer.
Private Eye in its current issue (1264) notes that in Germany changes in the coalition structure of Angela Merkel’s government have led to an indefinite postponement of their plans for a nuclear revival. This pattern is likely to be repeated here in the UK as the real costs for nuclear energy start to bite.
Morecambe & Lunesdale MP David Morris affirmed his support for the Heysham 3 proposal during his election campaign. Currently running an anti-Heysham Wind Farm campaign on his website (on aesthetic grounds) he has frequently extolled the beauties of Sunderland Point whilst perhaps failing to notice the potential impact of a third reactor on its coastline.
Virtual-Lancaster has asked him for a comment on the likely consequences of the ‘black hole’ deficit discovery but he has not replied.