7th December 2006

Greens welcome calls by Pilning and Severn Beach councillor Peter Tyzack to consider tidal and marine current power generation at Oldbury nuclear plant. The infrastructure to export energy is already on the site.

We also welcome the concern expressed by councillors at the Government's failure to go further and faster on energy efficiency, renewables, decentralised energy generation and other sustainable energy technologies. Our Government's response to climate change has been beyond shameful.

However we must strongly reject any idea that Oldbury (see photo) should limp on until 2008. Green party members helped Radio 4's flagship investigative programme File on Four this week in their look at the nuclear industry's safety record. Information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act shows a catalogue of incidents from leaking cooling system pipes, cracks in boiler tubes and cracks to the graphite core.

Indeed the recent shut down of 6 reactors calls into question the effectiveness of the body charged with inspecting nuclear reactors, the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and whether the nuclear industry is not putting profit before safety.

Oldbury has some of the worst graphite depletion in the country and has seen reactors closed for months upon months. It is just not safe to let these reactors operate. It should be decommissioned now.

Cllr Martin Whiteside, Hillside, Claypits Lane, Thrupp, Stroud
Stroud District Green Party Parliamentary Spokesperson

You can hear the 37 minute documentary for a few more days through the File on Four website:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/file_on_4/default.stm