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U.K. Chancellor of Exchequer Osborne To Sign Nuclear Deal with China
15 October 2013
(EIRNS)—Britain and China are expected to sign a nuclear energy agreement shortly. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne begins a five-day visit to China today, where he reportedly will sign an agreement allowing a state-owned Chinese General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) to enter the British nuclear energy market. The Chinese company is cooperating with the Electricité de France (EDF) planned new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point. Under memorandum of understanding Britain will also back CGN’s plans to build a nuclear reactor in the U.K. and play a "supporting role" in operating it, according to a report in the website: www.no2nuclearpower.org.uk. It has not been revealed whether the reactor will be of French or Chinese design, but most likely French. While the European Union is doing everything possible to stop nuclear power projects, the British are moving ahead. Using the climate change argument, the three major parties, the Labour Party, the Conservative Party, and now also the Liberal Democratic Party support nuclear energy. At a party congress on Sept. 15, the Liberal Democrats reversed their official anti-nuclear policy. Prior to this they are staunchly anti-nuclear and in the coalition agreement with the ruling Conservatives, they had stipulated that the party could take an opposing position to any nuclear initiative put forward by Tory government. Now this has changed. It will apparently be a boost to government efforts to get new nuclear power stations finally built. So far, London is in negotiations with EDF on building four reactors, two each at the existing Hinkley Point and Sizewell sites. Michael Fallon, U.K. Minister of State for Energy, said early this month that an agreement could be reached in the next few weeks. Hitachi, which acquired Horizon Nuclear Power from Germany’s RWE, and E.ON UK, plans to build new reactors at the Wylfa and Oldbury sites. And as reported earlier, in September, Finland’s large nuclear power station operator. Fortum Oyj, Russia’s Rosatom, and the U.K.’s Rolls-Royce signed an agreement to explore the possibility of building a Russian pressurized water reactor in the U.K. The memorandum of understanding signed by Fallon and the head of Rosatom, Sergey Kirienko, calls for going though all the procedures necessary for building a reactor in the U.K., and for cooperation in building reactors in third countries. [dea] |