SCDI.org.uk News 9 December 2008

Scotland can hit its target of 50 per cent of electricity from renewable sources by 2020 and keep exporting electricity to England and Northern Ireland, according to the first major independent study of the Scottish Government’s renewable energy targets. The report, published by the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI), also states that new nuclear power should be ‘considered as a potential part of the longer term generation base in Scotland’ due to questions about how we replace existing power plants with low carbon alternatives beyond 2020.

However, the report still argues that new nuclear should be ‘considered as a potential part of the longer term generation base in Scotland’:

“With Torness and other power stations possibly being decommissioned after 2020, there are still questions about how we provide the baseload Scotland needs in the longer term. Carbon capture and clean coal may be available at that time, but we also believe that new nuclear should still be considered as an option to meet our longer term energy needs.”