Consumers may foot nuclear bill

…Ministers have consistently said that any new generation of nuclear power stations would be built by the private sector without public subsidies. Instead, nuclear opponents accuse the government of trying to smooth the financial path for prospective nuclear companies.

No nuclear power stations have been built in Britain for nearly 20 years, largely because banks have been unprepared to risk money on an industry that has consistently needed to be rescued from near bankruptcy. The National Audit Office says the government has been left with liabilities of up to


A spokesman for the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said: “If we were to allow a new generation of nuclear stations … the private sector would have to pay the cost of any clean up and waste during the lifetime of the reactors.”

Guardian