Poll Indicates UK Public Are Wary Of Foreign Control Of New Nuclear

13 Jul (NucNet): A poll carried out for a pro-nuclear organisation in the UK shows that foreign investment and foreign technology in nuclear power plants would be acceptable to most people provided such a project is led by a British/EU consortium, rather than under foreign control. The online poll, released on 12 July 2017 was commissioned by New Nuclear Watch Europe (NNWE), a pro-nuclear group founded by former UK shadow energy minister Tim Yeo. The results reveal that 17% approved and 54% disapproved of the planned South Korean-led nuclear station at Moorside, Cumbria, with South Korean technology, and 17% approved and 56% disapproved of a Chinese/French-led development at Bradwell, Essex, with Chinese technology. The poll of 1,648 adults found that 56% of people support the continued use of nuclear power in the country’s energy mix, with 25% opposing it and 19% having no opinion. It found that 40% were in favour of the construction of EDF Energy’s planned Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, with 22% opposing it, 21% neutral on the issue and 17% saying that they did not know. Corresponding figures from a similar poll in April 2016 showed only 33% of respondents in favour of Hinkley Point C, NNWE said. The poll found that nuclear was the favoured power source to provide baseload nuclear power for renewable generation, with 40% of respondents in the poll choosing nuclear for this purpose, 9% natural gas and 4% coal-fired power, 2% chose oil and 19% other power sources, while 28% of respondents were unsure. NNWE is funded by nuclear industry participants, including Russia’s Rosatom, South Korea’s Kepco, Laing O’Rourke, Fluor, GF Nuclear and Moltex Energy.