Ahead of next month’s general election the UK’s ruling Labour party has unveiled its manifesto that includes pledges to a balanced energy portfolio, including nuclear power.
"We have a major programme to promote renewable energy as part of a strategy of having a mix of energy sources from nuclear power stations to clean coal," the manifesto says, although details were not revealed. Despite the lack of a solid policy, the manifesto is all but certain to reignite speculation of a new nuclear build programme that may be launched post election with persistent rumours that the government will move to approve the construction of up to 10 new reactors if it wins a third term.
Nonetheless, this is at odds with recent comments from Adrian Montague, chairman of British Energy. According to Montague, British Energy has no intention of drawing up proposals for the construction of new nuclear plants. Instead, the company supports extending the life of its existing nuclear fleet by as much as a decade.
