You cannot justify something because it supports a local economy. Just like Trident should not be pursued because it supports Barrow, you cannot sacrifice the future to support west cumbria. Unfortunately we could end up with a new nuclear power plant because the people down south and politicians think we are stupid and won't object unlike the more influencial and wealthy folk in Gloucestershire.

Why do we find it so hard to learn from experience, Nuclear is wrong, it is something that we sort of manage but cannot control. The cost of new builds, the security cost and then the cleanup cost, what a legacy to leave for future generations. Why are Japan and Germany building new coal powered plants yet Japan is willing to build a nuclear plant in the UK, a real case of NIMBY. The real solution is to reduce peoples demand for power but with an economy built on the concept of continous expansion we will be forever chasing out tail. We must do the right thing and be sensible, think of your children and their children and clean up what we have got and create no more before nuclear ends us.

Is this guy on the nuclear payroll? Why can't Cumbria benefit from wind turbines? Who gives this guy the right to deny you and me the right to free electricity and income while doing the right thing for the environment? Does this guy even realise that turbines are only here for the short term? 20 years. then they have to come down. But that gives us time to find truly green solutions? Is he ignorant of the massive CO2 up front footprint of nuclear power stations in addition to all the problems of disposing of the nuclear waste such that it's secure for our children's children who will curse us for the plague of radiation if just one of the 1000s of containers should ever leak for any reason?

Here we see that "100s of nuclear plants have problems, £20bn to fix": http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19804817

Plenty of debate and comment here on all forms of energy. Which is right? I doubt we will ever know but I think it is reasonable to assume that we won't get a new reactor in Cumbria. Most of the new reactors will be built in the south where there is the existing infrastructure. EDF have already applied for a development consent order to build and operate Hinkley Point C!!! Nothing like that here. I also doubt we will have a deep repository. The geology isn't right. More to the point the majority do not want it. So what is the future? More wind farms? The answer is unfortunately yes but for the wrong reasons. I am no fan of wind farms but they are cheap to build, easy to install and more to the point politically more acceptable. It won't matter whether they will provide for our future energy needs. It's all about the politicians looking good and trying to stay in power I am afraid. So where does this leave West Cumbria in the future? I am afraid the only thing we will have will be Sellafield moving into full decommissioning. But that will last some considerable time so the economic time bomb won't hit us yet...well not until Thorp and Magnox shutdown in 6 years then I fear we see some significant redundancies from the site and all the hardship for the community that will entail. Anyone willing to bet a box of smarties on it?

The reason why we aren't building Nuclear Power Stations is that they take 5 years to build and that is longer than a term of government. Therefore, a government would sanction the building but would probably be voted out before the power station was up and running and helping the economy. That's how short sighted our politicians are. They prefer to help the German economy by building wind farms which are manufactured in Germany.

I wish people would stop scaremongering about nuclear, what happened in Japan was caused by a massive earthquake/tsunami. If we dont have nuclear then people shouldnt moan about wind turbines or having to pipe gas from russia which could be switched off at a whim. My biggest fear is that without nuclear West Cumbria will be an economic wasteland which is is much more likley to happen than it being a nuclear wastland, get a grip weve had nuclear for ages anyway!!

To help with our medium term energy needs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions the UK needs a number of nuclear power plants. We need these plants now as most of our ageing nuclear generators are nearing decommissioning. What we also need is an integrated energy policy instead of self interested enthusiasms for coal, gas or wind. We need a balanced mix of generators and should belatedly try to develop tidal or wave power as a reliable green source of power. Some areas may also benefit from geothermal generation though this will probably not be a major source nationally.

worth a look at this
http://mariannewildart.wordpress.com/

Perhaps the Council Leader should ask the question of his Economic Development team as to what they have in mind for west Cumbria? it needs other ideas not just Nuclear themed ones!

well so it is bascially down to the countys neeeds and not the problems with nucular power , well shock horror if little towns villages suffer because we have no new nucular power we will have to find other ways to make the county work so cmon get a grip remeber japan we wouldnt cope if anything happned remeber we are 300 miles plus from london so do we really matter so cmon geta grip forget nucular power and move on