Nuclear option is very expensive red herring

THE UK is hardly dependent on Russian supplies of oil (eight per cent) and gas (four per cent). Some have advocated increasing UK production from the North Sea to a) reduce domestic fuel prices and b) better enable other countries in Europe to reduce their dependence on Russian fossil fuels.

However, UK production is small and would contribute little to other European countries’ efforts to reduce Russian imports; and it would make no difference to fuel prices on the world market where UK production is sold, so would not reduce prices for UK consumers.

What is more, the Chancellor has allowed oil companies huge tax relief on new investment in the North Sea but, as this investment can be offset against profit, the windfall tax these companies pay will be significantly reduced too.

New fossil fuel development would sabotage the slim remaining chances of keeping the global temperature increase below 1.5 degrees, and will tie the UK further into costly dependence on fossil fuels, rather than building capacity for cheap renewable energy production which will also provide resilience and energy security for the long term.

As Baroness Jenny Jones remarked in the House of Lords: “In what world does it make sense to expand production of the high-cost fuel that threatens life on our planet, while doing nothing extra to get more of the cheap green stuff?”

It’s not a question of keeping the lights on, since storage solutions are becoming increasingly economic.

Nuclear is a very expensive red herring. For quick increases in domestic generation, for resilience, as well as keeping costs low, investment in renewables is the best option. It would also free us from reliance on tyrannical regimes, whether in Russia or elsewhere.

Sacrificing our future and our young people is an unforgivable response to a current threat.

It is imperative that our government accepts the threat facing us and treats the climate emergency with the same urgency as the Ukraine situation.

Adrian Sargood, Extinction Rebellion local group