5:17pm UK, Monday November 09, 2009

Miranda Richardson, Sky News Online

The Government has announced a huge expansion of nuclear power, naming 10 sites in England and Wales as suitable for new power stations.

Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband told the Commons that there would be no new coal-fired power stations unless they were fitted with carbon capture and storage technology.

Dungeness in Kent has been ruled out as a site for a nuclear power station due to the potential impact on the local eco-system.

However, Bradwell, Braystones, Hartlepool, Heysham, Hinkley Point, Kirksanton, Oldbury, Sellafield, Sizewell and Wylfa have been identified for possible new power stations by 2025.

Planning laws will be changed to allow the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) to speed up the projects.

Mr Miliband said a streamlined planning process would mean a clear timetable of one year from the acceptance of an application to a decision.

Mr Miliband told Sky News: “When I look at the needs of our country, whether it is to keep the lights on or have energy security, I see that we need planning reform and we need new nuclear power stations, new renewable power stations and new clean coal technology.

Miliband says changes are needed

“When I look at the threat to our children and their children from climate change, I think the challenges for nuclear can be overcome and that we will be able to make the transition we need to meet our green energy needs.”

But environmental groups are disappointed at the prospect of new nuclear power stations and suggested the Government could be open to legal action if climate change is not properly considered.

Robin Oakley from Greenpeace said: “Nuclear is a dangerous and expensive irrelevance to tackling climate change and providing real energy security.

“We don’t need coal or nuclear, because proven green technologies such as wind and combined heat and power stations can secure Britain’s energy needs, create green jobs and slash our emissions.”

Shadow energy secretary Greg Clark said a ministerial statement on the issue was inadequate and called for a Commons vote to give the process “democratic legitimacy”.

“It is a national emergency and it’s been left far too late – we’ve known for the last 10 years that most of our nuclear power fleet would come to the end of its planned life,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

He added: “The trouble with the way the Government’s doing it is, it has no democratic component. The statements will just be read out to MPs without a vote and the decisions will be taken by an unelected, unaccountable official.”

Britain currently gets 15% of its electricity from nuclear energy but wants to increase the figure to at least 25%.