Sustainable development in the use of energy for electricity generation

At the recent UN climate change convention in Kyoto, the EU countries agreed to a further reduction in their CO2 emissions of 8% by 2010, Although the new Sizewell B generator and improvements to other British nuclear plant have helped to ensure that earlier targets have been met, the lack of any planned replacement nuclear generation means that to achieve this new target Britain will need to focus on improving energy efficiency, reducing energy consumption and developing other renewable energy sources as the older stations reach the end of their economic lives. This paper reviews the UK's challenges in a global context and proposes a basis for a national sustainable energy policy with regard to electricity generation. In particular, it calls for the government to encourage development of further nuclear and tidal power stations, including the proposed Severn barrage.