Poll Shows Support For New Nuclear Power Stations

Phil Black - PII Editor 05/12/2014

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Twice as many people support building new nuclear power stations than oppose it according to a new poll released today by the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA).

The poll of more than 2,000 people across the UK found 45% support building new nuclear power stations to replace existing plants, while only 20% oppose. Furthermore, this support has grown more than 10 percentage points in the past decade, up from 35% in 2004.

More than two-thirds (68%) of those who support building new nuclear power stations DO SO to ensure the UK is more self-sufficient and 66% believe it will reduce reliance on coal and gas.

Lack of knowledge on how the sector deals with waste continues to be the main disadvantage, with 82% of those who oppose building citing this as their main concern. However, a third of respondents said they were aware of how the industry currently deals with waste, but only a fifth (21%) knew about future plans for waste disposal.

Looking at perception of nuclear energy in general, reliability of supply (64%) remains the number one advantage – an increase of seven percentage points in the last two years – followed by job creation and investment (61%). Just over two-thirds of respondents (39%) cite public safety as the main disadvantage, however this has fallen from 46% in 2012.

With energy security high on the political agenda, almost three-quarters (71%) of respondents are concerned about importing energy from other countries. Of those who have concerns, 85% cite relying on other countries as the main reason and 67% say the cost of importing is their main concern. The level of concern about importing energy also increases with age as 16-24 year olds are least concerned (48%), compared with 45-54 year olds (78%) and 65+ at 84%.

Keith Parker, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association said:

“The UK is on the cusp of a major programme of nuclear new build and the industry has to make sure that people trust and understand the sector. The UK is in the unique position of having cross party support for building new nuclear power stations to replace current plants which are due to retire, as well as strong public support.

“We often talk about the positive impact building new nuclear capacity will have on jobs and businesses. But, if we don’t build new nuclear power there will be a much bigger issue. The country will lose almost a fifth of its generating capacity, CO2 emissions will rise, and the country would become more dependent on imported energy – something which concerns a large number of people.

“Furthermore, the results are clear that industry and Government need to engage openly and build greater understanding about what radioactive waste is. The British industry is successfully decommissioning old nuclear plants and that expertise is being used across the world. We should be proud of that.”