The leader of Plaid Cymru has done a U turn on nuclear power. When questioned by the BBC she indicated that her party would not interfere with any move to build a bigger nuclear power station on Anglesey.
Pippa Bartolotti, Leader of the Greens in Wales said: ‘Just a few months ago Leanne Wood was proud to say that she was against nuclear, and that Plaid was against nuclear, and on this basis she was elected. It is very sad to see how easily a person can change their views when there are a few votes in it.’
‘This is where the Greens are different from all other political parties. We have the courage of our convictions, and when we say no to nuclear, we mean it!
The island's nuclear station was due to end production by 2010, but extensions are currently in place. Any new reactor will take between 10 and 15 years to build. By contrast, one single off shore windfarm at Gwynt y Môr is on the brink of generating 40% of Wales’s energy needs.
Ms Bartolotti went on to say: ‘Our stance on the tragedy of nuclear power is clear and longstanding. We simply cannot condone any process which makes a waste product so toxic, so dangerous, and so long lasting as to be an insurmountable burden on many generations to come.’
Wales has the potential to be a truly Green nation. Our natural resources are outstanding, and there are far more jobs in the renewables sector than in nuclear power generation.
A statement from Jane Davidson in 2010 stated that Wales has the potential to generate twice its electricity demand from renewable energy sources within 15 years.
Pippa Bartolotti added: ‘What the Wales Government should do is to put the evidence on the table for all to see. If the government of Wales was modern and progressive it would be keen to replace old technologies with new, and train us all accordingly. Alas, the government, and Plaid, to their detriment, are pandering to the nuclear lobby. ‘
‘Basing a nuclear power station in a land rich in renewable energy sources is an insult.’
The Horizon nuclear project for Wylfa B was put up for sale in March by German utilities RWE and E.ON who came under pressure when Germany decided to phase out all nuclear power in the aftermath of the Fukushima accident in Japan. The Wyfa plant is now the subject of French and Chinese investment interest.