Minister for Nuclear Energy votes in PR stunt, SNP WAK Candidate’s response.
24/01/24
It was reported yesterday that the costs of the UK’s new flagship nuclear reactor at Hinkley Point in Somerset could balloon to £46 billion, with the project also suffering significant delays.
But after a month when the UK government’s Minister for Nuclear – Andrew Bowie MP – was very vocal about the benefits of this form of energy, he seems to have gone suddenly quiet.
Mr Bowie did find time to vote in the House of Commons on Monday 22 January for the second reading of the Offshore Petroleum Licensing Bill however, widely seen as a public relations exercise that will do little for the future stability of the oil and gas sector which is central to the economy of his own constituency: West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine.
The bill places a duty on the North Sea Transition Authority to hold annual applications for new oil and gas licenses. The Authority itself has described the move as “unnecessary” while the UK government’s former Business Secretary, Alok Sharma, has said that this will do nothing for oil and gas jobs, nor for UK energy security.
In effect, it makes it look as if the Conservatives are doing something for the North East of Scotland while achieving nothing substantive whatsoever.
The contrast between the billions being devoted to nuclear down south and the lip service being paid to the North Sea, by Mr Bowie and other Conservatives, is stark.
Nuclear power is an emotive subject with much argument for and against. However it is undeniably expensive and the UK government’s target of producing up to a quarter of UK energy needs from nuclear by 2050 is already over budget and behind schedule.
Given Scotland’s existing energy generation from renewables, and its future potential for more, the country has scope for moving forwards with careful management of our energy mix which will include oil and gas for some years to come – and a declining proportion of nuclear.
I fully support the Scottish government’s policy of reaching Net Zero by 2045 with a resilient, secure and climate-friendly mix of energy sources.