There should be no surprise at the British government's announcement that it will support the construction by private sector interests of a new generation of nuclear power plants. The direction of British energy policy has been fairly clear for a number of years, propelled by a powerful nuclear lobby which argues that it makes sense to replace ageing reactors with new ones using the latest nuclear technology.
And whereas in the past this argument carried less weight, not least because of the accumulated problem of radioactive waste management and disposal, it has gained more credence because of concerns about energy security and global warming.
British secretary of state for business John Hutton, who is in charge of energy policy, told the House of Commons that the Labour government "believes that new nuclear power stations should have a role to play in this country's future energy mix, alongside other low-carbon sources". At present, nuclear power provides only 19 per cent of Britain's electricity requirements, compared to 78 per cent in France, so there is obviously scope to expand its contribution. But Greenpeace and others have rightly drawn attention to the dangers associated with the proposed "geological disposal" of radioactive waste for "thousands of generations" and legitimate concerns about nuclear proliferation in general. These issues must be addressed in the public inquiries to be held on plans put forward by the utility companies.
Areva, the leading French power company, has already offered to build six nuclear plants in Britain capable of generating 15 per cent of its electricity needs, for €17.7 billion. Mr Hutton emphasised that it would be up to Areva and others to fund construction of the new plants, including meeting the costs of decommissioning and "their full share" of waste management costs in the longer term. This, he said, would be without further recourse to British taxpayers who are already saddled with a bill of €76.7 billion to meet the historic liabilities of the nuclear industry going back more than 50 years.
The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, has called for a debate on Ireland's future energy options, suggesting the Joint Oireachtas Committee that oversees his department as the most appropriate forum. This move has been endorsed by the Irish Business and Employers Confederation, which wants to see nuclear included in the mix. Such a debate must be welcomed, given our extraordinarily high dependence on imported fossil fuels - even though the Government pledged in last year's Energy White Paper to "maintain the statutory prohibition on nuclear generation in Ireland".
However, with the planned electricity interconnector between this country and Wales, we will be more securely linked to the European grid - although, over time, this will involve importing more and more nuclear-generated electricity from Britain. How this will square with our oft-repeated calls for the closure of Sellafield is a conundrum that has yet to be faced.