FRANCE: France will share its expertise on atomic energy with Britain in a deal that paves the way for the building of a new generation of nuclear power stations in the UK, it was revealed yesterday.
At a summit at the Élysée Palace with French president Jacques Chirac, British prime minister Tony Blair offered tangible proof of his determination to maintain reliance on nuclear power for at least one-fifth of Britain's electricity supply.
A joint communique announced a "regular Franco-British nuclear forum" involving government officials, and industry and technical experts.
"It is early days but eventually it could definitely lead to contracts for French business," a senior British official said.
Eighty per cent of French electricity comes from nuclear power, from 59 reactors, compared with 20 per cent from 23 in Britain.
"The fact that France has such a long tradition in this area gives us an opportunity," Mr Blair said at a joint press conference. "Should we make a decision to replace the UK's existing nuclear power stations it allows us a very fruitful exercise between France and Britain for the future."
Mr Blair continued to maintain the barely disguised fiction that the nuclear element of the government's long-awaited energy review is still on the table. "I'm not prejudging the final outcome of the review at all but I just come back to certain facts. The fact is we have 20 per cent of our electricity today from nuclear power. In 15 or 20 years' time, that's gone.
"Today, we are 80 per cent or 90 per cent self-sufficient in Britain in gas and oil. In 15 or 20 years' time, we will be importing 80 per cent or 90 per cent. Therefore, if I look at it from the point of view of energy security or the point of view of clean energy and climate change, to be in a position where we can't even replace the existing nuclear capacity seems to me to be a very big problem that we have to address."
Mr Blair said there should be a full public debate, but added: "I think it is a classic case that the decisions we take today as political leaders will be felt in 15, 20, or 30 years' time and I don't want people looking back and saying 'What were those guys doing, when the facts were very clear and very obvious to them'."
An official said there would "clearly be a nuclear element" in the energy review.
Alan Duncan, the opposition Conservative party's spokesman on energy, said Mr Blair "has totally pre-empted his energy review. He is clearly making a hasty dash for nuclear power, in order to define his legacy before he leaves office. However, he still hasn't given any indication of how he will get the investment required."
Officials accepted it was the last Chirac/Blair summit. The president (73) is stepping down at next year's election. -(Guardian service)