Sky News business editor Michael Wilson

Pipeline sabotage in Basra and the oil price leaps by over a dollar, once again pushing crude and thus energy costs up into record territory.

Timely that the leader of our nearest nuclear neighbour is welcomed to Downing Street to talk about a shared development of a new generation of nuclear power, but disappointing that all the speculation of a deal being struck is now demoted to a bland 'continuing discussions' status.

How very typical of the energy debate. Much talk and little progress, despite a widening energy gap as current nuclear and coal-fired plants run down and oil touches $110 a barrel.

The meter ticks. Britain relies on atomic energy for 20% of its electricity, and all but one of its existing power stations are due to close by 2023.

No reactors have been built since the 1980's, but Tony Blair managed to get nuclear power into the political forum a couple of years ago, not so long after Labour had declared that going nuclear was 'an unattractive option'.

But a surging oil price and belligerent noises from gas supplier Russia a couple of winters ago soon resurrected the logic of a dash for nuclear, despite its problems of security and disposal.

While France derives 78% of its energy from its 58 nuclear reactors with little or no public opposition, our energy policy is at best disconnected.

Last year, Britain signed up to a target of 20% of all European energy to come from renewable resources, like wind, wave or solar, by 2020.

Within that it was agreed that the UK's internal target was 15% - which would mean that up to 45% of our electricity would come from greenish production.

That crimps the ambitions of the nuclear lobby – and it's still unclear how much of the decommissioning and and waste management the private sector nuclear developers would pay.

But the green contribution is still fraught with problems. Proposals for onshore windfarms are locked in planning disputes, according to Greenpeace.

Offshore wind farms arouse fewer nimbies, but no-one from wind farm operator, utility or government wants to fund the huge cost of connecting the considerable journey of the generated power through the sea, onto land and then into the national grid.

So, that there's no shiny new communiqué on a joint nuclear programme. While France's energy policy is plugged in, Britain's current power play is in a state of paralysis.

Comments

[Elizabeth Davies Cape Town 28 Mar 2008 07:01:23]

If Greenpeace had it's way all Britons would be living in mud hut villages, growing their own crops.
But this is the 21st century, electricity was the greatest invention the world has ever seen, nothing works without it...so wise up and fire up the nuclear power stations before the "dark age" arrives.

[Khalid 27 Mar 2008 16:47:01]

Sir
I agree with [Dj Sammy] that the [Beautiful Smile] of the First Lady of France shall be remembered throughout history, alongside many a nuclear ambition, if I may use the term loosley.
As pipes burst and graphs rise, unless ofcourse nations are self sufficient like France has shown, then naturally opposition will come from quarters either sponsored by those who are most likely to lose out or other such fun-de-mental green barriers.
Britain knows the cost of storing the by-product of such power houses and until we are convinced that the effects of our waste are not going to be detrimental for future generations, (unless of course some bright spark decides to put a spanner in the works, for no obvious reason) then I'm afraid our reliance will be upon the state of mind of many a utility providing nation.
To that end, if Sirs' visit has relit the fire to self sufficiency, then we must look, listen and learn from what our closest neighbour has achieved, for the better of all our wallets!

[Brian Christley. Abergele 27 Mar 2008 15:53:01]

The fact that Nicolas Sarkozy, Gordon Brown and the Duke of Edinburgh were just bit players when Carla Bruni visited Britain simply proves that women, particularly elegant beautiful women, hold the real power amongst us humans, and how misguided the Polly Toynbee’s of this world are by trying to emulate us pathetic and feeble minded men.