Nuclear waste burial plan may smooth building of new plants (UK)

[jpak]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/11/nuclearburial

Ministers are due to publish controversial plans to bury Britain's massive nuclear waste stockpile, as part of a campaign to persuade investors to build new nuclear power stations.

On Thursday, Hilary Benn, the environment secretary, is due to publish a long-awaited white paper for dealing with Britain's 'legacy' of radioactive waste by asking for volunteer communities to bury the waste in deep underground vaults in return for government spending on things like health screening and infrastructure.

The announcement is seen as a key step in persuading investors to spend billions of pounds on new nuclear power stations ahead of a meeting on the same day with the energy secretary, John Hutton. He will tell that audience that the government hopes to have the first nuclear reactor operating in a decade.

However the move was attacked by anti-nuclear campaigners, who claim new nuclear waste will be more radioactive and so harder to store, and that despite offering financial incentives the plans could still fail to get public support.

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[Mojorabbit]

1. I always think

of us exploring ancient egyptian tombs and the like and what would happen thousands of years down the road if this stuff gets excavated..