MSPs back nuclear-free goal but seek more years from existing plants

A HOLYROOD committee has backed SNP ministers' plans to turn Scotland into a nuclear-free state.

But MSPs said the lifespan of existing nuclear power stations should be extended to buy time to develop alternative, low-carbon sources of energy in the renewable sector.

Scotland's two nuclear plants, Hunterston B and Torness, are expected to close by 2016 and 2023 respectively.

The nuclear issue has once again proven one of the most divisive in Scotland, with a minority of the economy, energy and tourism committee – made up of Labour and Conservative MSPs – supporting building new nuclear power stations.

However, the committee's report on the future of Scotland's electricity generation, warned that nuclear power could "unduly dominate" the debate. It encourages oil and gas companies to invest in marine energy and offshore wind.

Lewis Macdonald, Labour's energy spokesman, who voted in favour of nuclear energy, accepted that Scotland's opportunity lay in harnessing wind, wave and tidal power potential.

But he added: "All parties say they support green energy as a key part of Scotland's energy future, but actions speak louder than words."

And he has made it clear he has concerns about Scotland producing energy that was dependent on variable sources, such as winds or tides.

SNP MSP Rob Gibson, deputy convener of the committee and opposed to nuclear energy, said: "There is no desire across the Scottish Parliament for new nuclear energy in Scotland and a real enthusiasm for building a clean, green future."

The nine committee members also suggested the Scottish Government spend £1.7 billion over ten years to reduce energy demand and fuel poverty.

And it demanded that the process of approving large-scale projects, such as the proposed Beauly to Denny power line, must be speeded up.

The committee convener, Iain Smith, a Liberal Democrat MSP, said: "This is our vision for Scotland's energy future. The provision of secure, affordable and environmentally friendly energy supplies is fundamental to the wealth and national wellbeing of Scotland."

CBI Scotland's assistant director, David Lonsdale, raised the nuclear issue and said it would be wrong to drop a tried and tested form of energy production with low carbon emissions.

"We remain convinced that tried and tested means of providing reliable, constant, and controllable base-load generation, including low-carbon nuclear capacity, should continue to be the cornerstone of electricity supply, not least to minimise the potential supply problems for industrial and commercial consumers," he said.

The energy spokesman for Scottish Council for Development and Industry said: "There are some very real questions still to be answered about how we replace ageing power stations with secure and low-carbon energy generation, and meet future demand for electricity without new nuclear generation."

But he welcomed support for the Beauly to Denny line.

He said: "The line is the key that will unlock the huge potential of wind, wave and tidal power throughout the Highlands and Islands and is a vital part of Scotland and the UK's efforts to tackle climate change."

Green ideas

USING algae to absorb emissions, creating "edible communities" and a scheme to convert RBS into the Royal Bank of Sustainability were among ideas hailed yesterday as ways to transform the UK into a more sustainable society.

The Breakthroughs for the 21st Century project by the Sustainable Development Commission has chosen 19 ideas it thinks could make a big difference in tackling climate change, depletion of resources and inequality.

Top ideas included creating "incredible edible communities" by turning public flowerbeds into vegetable patches and a proposal to use fast-growing algae to soak up carbon emissions from power stations and use the biological material for products such as oil, food and pharmaceuticals.

The campaign group Platform suggested that the largely publicly owned Royal Bank should be transformed from being closely associated with the oil and gas industry into investing in projects to tackle climate change.