The price to pay for nuclear power is too high

It doesn't seem 30-odd years since I went with a group of sixth form A Level physics students on a tour of Dunbar's Torness nuclear power station, now scheduled for decommissioning. of them now have their Phds and families of their own, but hopefully they all share my view that nuclear electricity remains the most toxic and expensive domestic fuel in regular use – and will remain so unless and until the problems associated with its deadly wastes are finally solved.

As things stand now the next 500 human generations will be stuck with the human and financial costs consequent upon coping with the radioactive detritus of the very first nuclear electricity generated some 80 years ago. Factoring in inflation the final price of just a single nuclear kwh will total more £s than there are particles in the universe. If anyone doubts that, let them do their own sums, or get a copy of mine (I hope they can cope with logarithms and discounting cash flows).

They can begin with the total costs of building, running and demolishing Torness and Hunterston which are of course but two of several nuclear plants in the UK. That industry will bluster and claim many advantages of its existence, but ask it to disprove my sums (and I've tried!) and see what happens.

If the investment into nuclear energy (originally so we could keep up with the Jonses and have our own A and H bombs) had instead been ploughed into research and development of clean, safe, renewables we would long ago have had endless energy to spare and green devices to export. But we didn't and so we haven't. To replace one nuclear power station with yet another is to refuse to learn. Are we that stupid still?

TIM FLINN Garvald, East Lothian