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what a neat solution
SO LET’S get this clear. Fact one: the Government believes that, properly designed and run, a new generation of nuclear power stations would be perfectly, absolutely, indubitably, demonstrably, assuredly and without qualification, safe. Got that? Safe. S-a-f-e. People who might live nearby can be assured, on the basis of impeccable scientific advice, that these power stations represent no danger at all: neither of low-level radiation, nor of a nuclear disaster.
Fact two: leaking electric cables are a much bigger problem than leaking water pipes. Up to 10 per cent of electrical power is lost in transmission. This is due to the resistance inherent in conductors. The longer the cables, the more power is lost. Put crudely, through long, slightly warmed power lines we are heating the outdoors. Unlike leaked water, which returns to the soil and irrigates city trees, lost electrical power is wasted irretrievably and forever. The waste can be minimised by short transmission lines: keeping the source of power-generation close to the populations and industries which use it.
Fact three: power stations need to be near rivers or the sea.
Fact four: on the banks of the Thames, the Millennium Dome and its site remain one of this Government’s biggest headaches. Poisoned land makes it unsuitable for housing; poisoned politics infuse the project with a toxin that seeps into new Labour’s entire reputation. John Prescott’s woes are only the latest example.
So why doesn’t Tony Blair pack up all his troubles in one horrific kit bag, and put the next big nuclear power station on the site of the Dome? He assures us it will be safe.
So what could be the objection?
shamelessly lifted from Matthew Parris in today's Times
Fact two: leaking electric cables are a much bigger problem than leaking water pipes. Up to 10 per cent of electrical power is lost in transmission. This is due to the resistance inherent in conductors. The longer the cables, the more power is lost. Put crudely, through long, slightly warmed power lines we are heating the outdoors. Unlike leaked water, which returns to the soil and irrigates city trees, lost electrical power is wasted irretrievably and forever. The waste can be minimised by short transmission lines: keeping the source of power-generation close to the populations and industries which use it.
Fact three: power stations need to be near rivers or the sea.
Fact four: on the banks of the Thames, the Millennium Dome and its site remain one of this Government’s biggest headaches. Poisoned land makes it unsuitable for housing; poisoned politics infuse the project with a toxin that seeps into new Labour’s entire reputation. John Prescott’s woes are only the latest example.
So why doesn’t Tony Blair pack up all his troubles in one horrific kit bag, and put the next big nuclear power station on the site of the Dome? He assures us it will be safe.
So what could be the objection?
shamelessly lifted from Matthew Parris in today's Times