Nuclear energy is the best and cheapest option

ENVIRONMENT Minister Dick Roche is joining forces with colleagues from Norway, Austria and Iceland to oppose the move by many countries to further develop nuclear power as a way to reduce greenhouse gases and to replace dwindling and ever more expensive oil.

These three countries are fortunate in having well-developed hydro and geothermally generated electricity, and so are not as dependent on fossil fuels as we are.

For electricity generation, Ireland is 95.9% dependent on fossil fuels while the figure for the other countries is: Austria, 29.3%; Norway, 0.4%, and Iceland, 0.1%. We are hoping, very ambitiously, to generate 33% of our electricity from renewables by 2020, but the remaining 67% will have to come from fossil fuels.

Both are expensive options. Ireland already has the second highest price for industrial electricity in the EU, yet the Government steadfastly refuses to consider the nuclear option.

This is a safe technology that produces base load electricity cheaper than that from wind, coal, oil or gas.

When will we stop burying our heads in the sand and have a mature and unemotional debate on this issue?

Philip W Walton

Uggool

Moycullen

Co Galway