LONDON, March 6 (UPI) -- Increasing Britain's nuclear power capacity is not the answer to concerns over energy supply or climate change, a government advisory panel warned Monday.
The Sustainable Development Commission cautioned the government against viewing nuclear power as "an easy fix," saying even doubling nuclear capacity would lead to only a small reduction in carbon emissions.
The report, compiled in response to the government's own energy review, to be published later this year, concludes the risks of nuclear energy outweigh the advantages.
British ministers have considered nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas. With North Sea oil stocks rapidly diminishing and many of Britain's existing nuclear power stations to expire by 2020, some see building a new generation of plants as preferable to increasing reliance on imports from unstable regions of the world.
Advocates of nuclear power argue it will not only help fill the looming energy gap, but help Britain cut its carbon emissions. But the commission said even if current capacity were doubled, emissions would be reduced by just 8 percent by 2035.
It also raised concerns about the long-term storage of waste, safety issues and the economics of building a new generation of plants. Embarking on a new nuclear program would undermine the drive for greater energy efficiency, and make it more difficult to deny other countries the same technology.
The report concluded that Britain could meet its energy needs without nuclear power.
"With a combination of low carbon innovation strategy and an aggressive expansion of energy efficiency and renewables, the U.K. would become a leader in low-carbon technologies," it said.
