Nuclear Reactors 311 - Questionable Hinkley Point C Nuclear Power Project Contract Is Signed in the U.K..
I have blogged extensively about the Hinkley Point C nuclear power project in the United Kingdom. It is a very expensive project that involves the French and the Chinese. There are a lot of controversy about the project from financial concerns to environmental and labor issues. The deal was finalized last Wednesday.
The day before the deal was finalized, the U.K. Energy Minister said "It is vital that industries over time stand on their own two feet. I don’t think anyone here would advocate an industry that only survives because of a subsidy paid by the billpayer." She made this statement in defense of the eighty seven percent cut that the U.K. had just made in subsidies for solar power.
At the end of the announcement of the signed contract for Hinkley Point C was the following statement, "The government confirms that it is not continuing the ‘no public subsidy policy’ [for nuclear power] of the previous administration." For five years, U.K. government ministers had been claiming that nuclear power needed no government subsidies. Apparently that claim was false. Austria, which is strongly against the use of nuclear power in the European Union has brought a lawsuit against the U.K. for what it says are illegal state subsidies for the Hinkley Point C project.
Ministers say that nuclear power is essential for the national security of the U.K. The U.K. national security organizations disagree and point out that the deal invites the Chinese into the highly sensitive nuclear energy sector in the U.K. The ministers also say that nuclear energy is necessary to reach lower carbon emissions but the Conservatives in Parliament have been working on banning onshore wind farms which are one of the lowest carbon emitting energy sources.
Because of all the confusion and controversy surrounding the Hinkley Point C project in particular and energy policy in general, the ministers are promoting a "reset" for energy policy. Critics of this "reset" say that such a move will undermine investor confidence in investing in the energy sector. Finding investors for the Hinkley Point C project was a major problem.
This problem between huge government subsidies for nuclear power projects and cutting subsidies for renewable alternative energy projects is replicated around the world. Recently, I posted fifteen reasons why nuclear power is not a good way to lower carbon emissions. Renewable alternative power is becoming so cheap that it is reaching the point where it can compete with fossil fuels and nuclear power directly without the need for subsides. As I have said before, the only reason that nuclear power projects are being pushed around the world is the fact that there are billions of dollars in such projects. This huge pool of money attracts governments and major corporate players. There is plenty of money for profits and, if necessary, the occasional bribe.
Nuclear power is not competitive and is a threat to the environment and public health. The sooner it is abandoned, the better it will be for everyone, even those who profit from it.
