Kevin Trumper (letters14/03/03) of the pro-nuclear union, Prospect calls for "intelligent, rational debate" about nuclear power suggesting it is cheaper than renewable energy.

He is mistaken, it is now too expensive to be credible. In a society used to the iron rule of the market, the public finance needed to keep nuclear companies solvent is becoming a real embarrassment.

Kevin Trumper missed in his calculations the fact that taxpayers will be making a £3billion bail-out for BE and almost £4billion of liabilities from British Nuclear Fuels - Britain’s other nuclear generator. Some commentators say these figures are too low, but even these figures make nuclear seriously uneconomic.

Five decades of consultations, proposed dumps and scientific investigations have all failed to solve the problem of what to do with materials that remain deadly for tens of thousands of years. We now have headlines warning of the threat of terrorists getting hold of radioactive materials for bombs. Nuclear stations themselves could be terrorist targets; no one is ever likely to try to fly an aeroplane into a wind farm.

Renewable power is the way forward. It is benign, clean and able to produce energy cheaply and endlessly. Renewables mean more jobs, more safety and their costs are coming down all the time. Economies of scale mean, that unlike nuclear costs, renewable costs will drop still further. There will also be considerable export potential.

In addition to renewables, investments in energy efficiency measures could reduce our energy demand by 30 percent in the economy as a whole (annual saving of £12billion).

The beleaguered nuclear industry knows that it is now fighting for its life. But it needn't be the end for Britain's expertise and technological competence in this field. There is a multi-billion-pound market worldwide for nuclear decommissioning, clean-up and waste management. That different future for Britain's nuclear industry is where the government should put its efforts.

Philip Booth, Gloucestershire Green Party.