Ryan accused of passing the buck on nuclear energy
Mr Ryan said a full public discussion on the use of nuclear energy here should take place, preferably at the Oireachtas committee on climate change and energy security, where experts from all sides could be called to present their cases.
He was responding to the announcement by the British government yesterday that 10 nuclear power plants are to be built in England and Wales, most likely at existing nuclear sites, which would include the controversial Sellafield site where nuclear waste is reprocessed.
Labour dismissed the call for debate as “disingenuous” given the Government’s own policy paper which states: “The Government will maintain the statutory prohibition on nuclear generation in Ireland. The Government believes that for reasons of security, safety, economic feasibility and system operation, nuclear generation is not an appropriate choice for this country.”
The party’s energy spokes-woman, Liz McManus, said: “It is clear that the minister and the Government have no intention of pursuing any nuclear option. In fact, they are precluded by law from doing so. Rather than being upfront, he is ducking the issue by calling for a debate, but refusing to initiate one himself. In effect he is simply passing the buck.”
Fergus O’Dowd, Fine Gael TD for Louth, where there are long-held concerns about pollution from Sellafield, said he was deeply concerned about the British government’s announcement and he accused Mr Ryan of being vague on the subject.
Employers’ group, IBEC, however, welcomed the minister’s comments and said an Oireachtas committee was the appropriate forum to thrash out the issues. “No single solution exists, all options must be considered: wind, biomass, wave, biofuel and nuclear,” said IBEC director general, Turlough O’Sullivan, a view backed by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
Lobby group, Friends of the Irish Environment, said a debate could be useful in exposing the flaws in the pro-nuclear lobby’s arguments. “There has been a concerted campaign by business interests in Ireland to promote nuclear energy as the only way to keep the economy going,” said spokesman Tony Lowes.
“With proper debate we think the Irish public are wise enough to realise that nuclear energy is only a short-term solution and very expensive.”
Sinn Féin described the move by Britain as “short-sighted” and represented a threat to the health and safety of the public.
A spokesman for the Oireachtas Committee on Climate Change and Energy Security, meanwhile, said its schedule would not be finalised for another month or two but at this stage, it had not been formally proposed by the members that they hold a debate on nuclear power.
