Blair: Nuclear Energy, "Back with a vengeance"

Some may say that U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair is only counting the days before he leaves 10 Downing Street, but that's not the case when it comes to energy policy. From the BBC:

Prime Minister Tony Blair has given his strongest signal yet that he backs the building of a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK.

The prime minister told the CBI annual dinner that the issue was "back on the agenda with a vengeance".

He said Britain faced the prospect of being largely reliant on foreign gas imports for its future energy needs.

Thanks to The Oil Drum: United Kingdom, for the pointer. And in their comments section comes an interesting expression of support:

I am 100% behind this. I only hope he can last long enough to pull it off.

I am no great fan of Blair, but at last, he is grasping the nettle. If he is looking for a legacy, then Nukes would be it, and help this country get past PO and mitigate GW. Without Nukes, the lights start to go out within 10 years. And that means no work, no means of electrified rail to work, no computers, no teleworking, people trapped in lifts, lights out in hospitals, schools and homes.

Glad to see somebody gets it.

UPDATE: More from Caspar Henderson at Potential Energy.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Electricity, Environment, Energy, Politics, United Kingdom, Natural Gas