Council backs Green call for wind power, not nuclear at Shoreham

13 July 2007

Brighton and Hove councillors from all parties last night overwhelmingly backed a Green Party motion supporting the development of wind turbines or other renewable energy technologies in Shoreham Harbour, and calling on the government to rule out the possibility of a new nuclear power station on the site.

As reported in The Argus (29th May), exploratory discussions have been held between a green power company and Brighton and Hove City Council on the idea of installing up to five large wind turbines at the port, some of which falls within the city boundaries. In the motion agreed last night's (12th July) full council meeting, councillors expressed their "hope, without prejudice to any specific planning application, that future developments at Shoreham Harbour will incorporate significant, sensitively-designed renewable energy generation capacity, such as wind."
[1]

"This is great news for the fight against climate change," said Green Party Councillor Paul Steedman, who proposed the motion.

Wind turbines - and other renewable energy technologies such as solar, wave, tidal and biomass combined heat and power (CHP) - can produce power with low or no missions of carbon dioxide, the most important 'greenhouse gas', which contributes to climate change.

Councillor Steedman continued, "The latest scientific evidence is that we need to cut our carbon dioxide emissions by 80-90% to avoid dangerous levels of climate change. Brighton and Hove should be leading the way to a low carbon future, and this is one important step in that journey."

"I am delighted that the Tory administration have now decided to support the Greens after their earlier dithering on support for wind power at Shoreham. But don't be fooled by their phoney eco-concern. Tory policies on transport and planning mean more climate-changing CO2."

Following the debate, the Council's Chief Executive, Alan McCarthy, will also write to John Hutton, the new Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (formerly the Department for Trade and Industry) asking him to rule out Brighton and Hove as the site for a new nuclear power station. The Guardian newspaper reported on the 24th May 2007 that Brighton was among locations identified as a possible site
for any new national nuclear programme in a report compiled for the DTI. [2]

Notes to editors:

Further information: Geoffrey Bowden, B&HGP External Communications Coordinator 07958 682683.

Notes
[1] The full text of the motion reads:
BRIGHTON & HOVE CITY COUNCIL

12 JULY 2007

NOTICE OF MOTION

NUCLEAR AND WIND POWER


"This Council is opposed to the possibility of siting a new nuclear power station within, or in close proximity to, Brighton and Hove, but welcomes sensitively-sited wind turbine installations as a contribution to combating climate change.

This Council notes that:

• there have been recent media reports that the Government is
considering Brighton and Hove among possible locations for new nuclear power
stations;



• the Government's independent advisory body on sustainable
development (SDC) concluded that even doubling the UK's existing nuclear
capacity would provide only an 8% cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2035
and no cuts before 2010, and identified five major disadvantages to
nuclear power: long-term waste, cost, inflexibility, the undermining of
energy efficiency programmes and risks to international security;

• the council is a signatory to the Nottingham Declaration on
Climate Change, committing us to "work with central government to
contribute, at a local level, to the delivery of the UK Climate Change Programme,
the Kyoto Protocol and the target for carbon dioxide reduction by 2010
[of a 20% cut in CO2 emissions on a 1990 baseline]";

• sensitively-sited and designed onshore and offshore wind turbines
represent a significant opportunity for cutting the carbon emissions
associated with electricity generation, quickly, at relatively low cost,
with no major security risks or waste issues. The SDC has found that
UK wind resources are more than enough to meet the Government's
renewable energy target of 20% of electricity by 2020;

• the Council has held exploratory discussions on the concept of
installing a significant amount of wind turbine capacity at Shoreham
Harbour, some of which falls within the Brighton and Hove City boundaries.

This Council therefore:

• asks the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, attaching this Notice of
Motion, seeking assurance that no new nuclear power station will be built
within, or in close proximity to, Brighton and Hove;
• expresses its hope, without prejudice to any specific planning
application, that future developments at Shoreham Harbour will
incorporate significant, sensitively-designed renewable energy generation
capacity, such as wind, to help meet our commitments under the Nottingham
Declaration.

Proposed by: Cllr Paul Steedman Seconded by: Cllr Ben Duncan

[2] The Guardian report is at

http://environment.guardian.co.uk/energy/story/0,,2086815,00.html

[ENDS]