Ahern states opposition to nuclear option

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday expressed his opposition to developing nuclear power as a response to the Republic's dependency on imported fuels.

In a preview of his Government's Green Paper on energy policy due this summer, Mr Ahern used his keynote address to the Engineers Ireland conference in Dublin yesterday to stress his view that "the development of alternative technologies" should be fully considered.

He said the State faced "major issues such as costs [of electricity] and security of supply", and that the role of engineers would be pivotal "in the development of alternative energy solutions".

Acknowledging the presence at the conference of international proponents of nuclear energy, Mr Ahern said it was good such expertise was available to Irish engineers.

However he said it was one thing to talk about the merits of nuclear power "but another to ever try to convince anybody".

While his address avoided condemnation of the nuclear option, the Taoiseach told reporters afterwards that he opposed nuclear power, an issue he said he had made known in the Dáil as recently as Wednesday night.

He said he had "never" believed in nuclear power "from an environmental point of view or from an energy - sustainable energy - point of view".

Referring to the possible expansion of nuclear energy in Britain, Mr Ahern said the British government would present its proposals in a few months time, "and it looks as if they are going to continue with the development and expand nuclear energy".

He added that this position was "totally against what our view is", and said he was "more interested in the debate about what we can do in sustainable energy, what we can do about linking in perhaps some of the agricultural products and what we can continue to do on wind farming".

There were "good alternatives" that he would like to see industry and Irish engineers explore.

"Good that the engineers are looking at all options - I welcome that - but that is not one that I politically support," he said.

Responding to the Taoiseach's challenge to the conference to show him how a population could be convinced of the merits of nuclear power, Luis Echávarri, the director general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Nuclear Energy Agency, said there must be political leadership and will to bring in nuclear power.

"Public opinion is not an independent element. Public leaders must say we need nuclear power. If public leaders say we don't need it, what do you think people are going to think?" he asked.

Mr Echávarri was supported by committee member of the World Energy Council Dr Alessandro Clerici, who said public opinion was also badly influenced by inaccurate media reports which had exaggerated the number of deaths and injuries caused by the Chernobyl nuclear explosion.

Dr Clerici said newspapers in Milan had claimed that 4,500 people had died from the effects of the nuclear catastrophe and that the figures would reach 200,000 by the end of the century.

This was untrue, he said, adding that 55 people had died as a result of the explosion and the figure would rise to 4,000 by the end of the century.

Both Dr Clerici and Mr Echávarri said the nuclear industry had no responsibility for Chernobyl because it was a Soviet-era installation which would never have been licensed by the industry to operate alongside the 350 nuclear plants which operated safely in the west.