New Nuclear Plant

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36394601

I can't see this much-needed new electricity power station being built.

The Government should discard the contract with EDF with immediate effect, and start pulling its finger out.

[Old_Geezer]

Our utilities ought not be in foreign hands at all. It's dodgy enough having them in private hands.

[waterboatman]

I hope it is never built! Despite all the assurances that it is safe and clean. It's not! The waste from nuclear power stations is neither safe nor clean. It has to be stored for ever. How many more nuclear power station 'accidents' will it take to convince the powers that arrogantly insist that they are safe that they are not!

[mikey4444]

OG....with you 100% there. I, and others gave warnings at the time when our utilities were hived off, but the will of the people prevailed. Tell Sid won the day.

This farce over Hinkley Point has gone on for far too long....I can't understand why Dave just doesn't grasp the nettle and deal with it.

[mikey4444]

Boaty....there is no viable alternative when it comes to the mass production of electricity. The nimbys oppose every other type of power generation.

But we are going to come home one winters evening, in the near future, turn the light switch on and nothing will happen.

[Old_Geezer]

In fairness nothing is 100% safe, and there have only been 2 serious nuclear incidents. The Russian one due to a poorly designed test which turned off vital protection, and the Japanese one that was due to poor siting and a tsunami. Neither are going to be applicable here as long as one employs test creators who know what they are about.

As for the waste issue, for sure it needs careful handling but it's not got a half life of infinity, and in any case there's no reason to suppose science won't find a way to make it inert at some point in the future; just so long as it isn't stored where we can't get to it again, and maintained so containers don't deteriorate. And until there is a viable alternative it seems to be the only option for present and near/mid future energy needs.

[Ric.ror]

I honestly don't know why Africa isn't making the most of its asset - the sun

And not the newspaper before some smart Alex starts

[mikey4444]

Ric.....may be due to lack of money needed for the infrastructure. I think they are quite expensive to set up.

But I seem recall that there is a large solar farm somewhere in North Africa, but I can't remember exactly where.

[jourdain2]

I can't see it being built either, mikey. The money should be put into tidal turbines I.M.O.; we can rely on the tides. We could also reopen a few coal-mines now that technology makes extraction easier. A mandatory solar panel on every new house would help - as would a grant towards establishing solar panels on the existing housing stock.