Scottish Greens reaffirm opposition to nuclear power – Daily Business

Torness in East Lothian is due to close in 2030

The Scottish Green party has reaffirmed its opposition to expanding nuclear energy despite it being regarded as a net zero fuel source by the European Union which it wants to rejoin.

Members attending the party’s annual conference voted against a motion that would have changed the party’s longstanding opposition to nuclear power and allowed the construction of new reactors under certain conditions.

Scotland’s only remaining nuclear power station is Torness, East Lothian, which is due to be shut down in March 2030.

The vote will be seen as a setback to the UK government which wants to roll out a new generation of nuclear energy plants as part of an energy security plan that would lessen reliance on gas and imported fuels.

Scottish Green MSP and energy spokesperson Kristopher Leask welcomed the decision, reiterating the party’s commitment to investing in Scotland’s renewable energy potential.

He said: “I welcome the debate, it is important that members can discuss and challenge our policies, but I firmly believe we have reached the right decision.

“Nuclear power is expensive, wasteful and takes years, if not decades, to deliver. We know that it leaves behind dangerous radioactive waste that future generations will be left to manage, while doing nothing to bring down household energy bills in the short term.

“Scotland has enormous potential in wind, wave, tidal and solar energy. We should be investing in those resources, creating thousands of good green jobs and ensuring that communities benefit from the energy generated at their doorsteps. 

“The UK Government’s obsession with forcing a new generation of nuclear power on Scotland disregards devolution and goes against the will of the Scottish Parliament.”

The nuclear energy industry argues that it is part of the solution to climate change, providing a continuous supply of energy, whilst avoiding the release of billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

Smaller reactors, such as those built by Rolls-Royce, can be built relatively quickly and are being planned south of the border.

On safety concerns, the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima plant in Japan did not cause any immediate health effects, and is unlikely to cause any future health effects, according to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation.

Regarding waste, the World Nuclear Association says all forms of electricity generation produce some form of residual material. Nuclear power, it says, is the only energy-producing industry that takes full responsibility for managing all its waste.

It adds that civil nuclear waste has been managed without a significant environmental release for six decades. Unlike some other toxic wastes, such as heavy metals, the principal hazard associated with nuclear waste – its radioactivity – diminishes with time.

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