UK government reveals 10 nuclear sites

Today the government named 10 sites where new nuclear power stations may be built whilst announcing changes to planning rules aimed at speeding up approval for energy projects.

Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband said "The threat of climate change means we need to make a transition from a system that relies heavily on high carbon fossil fuels to a radically different system that includes nuclear, renewable and clean coal power,"

Adding,"The current planning system is a barrier to this shift... that is why we are undertaking fundamental reform of the planning system which will result in a more efficient, transparent and accessible process."

He also said no new coal fuelled power stations would be allowed to be built without carbon capture and storage.

The 10 sites had been nominated by energy firms hoping to build reactors. Most are on or adjacent to existing plants, but two identified as suitable are on new sites, Braystones and Kirksanton, both in Cumbria and on the “nuclear coast”.A potential site in Dungeness, was ruled out because of the possible impact on the local ecosystem, which is noted for its birdlife and bleak beauty.

Ministers hope the first of a new generation of stations can come on stream as early as 2017.

In response to the announcement, Conservative energy spokesman Greg Clark accused the government of a "last minute scramble" to act after 12 years of procrastination in the face of looming energy shortages.