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14 May 2008 - The chairman of the UK Nuclear Industry Association said today that sale of the government's share in nuclear generator British Energy to French state-owned firm EDF would be "undesirable", but insisted that the industry should embrace nuclear technologies developed and approved abroad.
Speaking at an energy construction conference in London, Lord Martin O'Neil told delegates that the government's stake should not go to one bidder, but that he would have no problem with international firms buying some of the assets. He said that any buyer should not be allowed to pick off the best sites for future nuclear development.
Lord O'Neil of Clackmannan said that the international nature of the energy industry meant that it was inevitable that foreign technology would play a major part in any new nuclear build programme. "The UK's existing fleet of nuclear reactors do not conform to any one design and are therefore very difficult to operate. There is no need to wrap the union flag around any new nuclear project." He added that the UK input into new nuclear plants was likely to be less than we would like but it was vital that projects were delivered on time and to the required standards.
Lord O'Neil, former Labour chair of the House of Commons Trade and Industry Committee, called for the UK government to be vigilant in pushing through legislation designed to facilitate the next generation of new nuclear power plant in a timely fashion. He said that the nuclear industry was already fostering inks with universities and establishing training programmes to provide for the skilled workforce needed to implement a programme that would be vital if the UK was to avoid facing power shortages in the future.
Commenting on a possible future legacy, Lord O'Neil said that, if the UK is successful in its plans, Britain had the potential to be the turnkey for a Europe that will by then be looking to develop its own nuclear programme. "By 2015 the UK will be looking to move into phase two of its nuclear programme and will have developed the experience that will lead to work coming to the UK."
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