EPR: A dangerous waste of time!

The French nuclear industry's flagship European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) has become an example of all that can go wrong with new reactors in both economic and safety terms.

Both EPRs currently under construction, in Olkiluoto, Finland and Flamanville, France have faced massive problems and shortcomings. The Olkiluoto-3 reactor was supposed to come on-line in May 2009 after four years of construction, but it is now three years behind schedule and 50% over budget. Overall, the bill will be paid by electricity consumers and taxpayers.

Time and time again nuclear energy has proved to be an expensive and risky business. But it's us as consumers and taxpayers who take on the risks - not the nuclear companies. Nuclear energy is a dangerous waste of time: it gets in the way of urgently needed investments in clean, renewable sources of energy and energy efficiency.

The French utility EDF, which owns the Britain's nuclear utility, British Energy, is saying that existing renewable energy targets must be reduced if they are not to hamper efforts to build nuclear plants in the UK.

Write to Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband and remind him that investment in nuclear energy is a dangerous and expensive distraction from the real solutions – energy efficiency, renewable technologies and decentralised energy.

By decentralising our energy system and producing energy locally, the UK can meet its energy needs in a much cheaper, cleaner and safer way, slashing our climate change contributions.