Nuclear Free Local Authorities declare – ‘Every home and community could be a power station’
Nuclear Free Local Authorities have marked their 40-year milestone by restating their opposition to any new nuclear power stations in Wales.
Proposals earlier this year for a Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor in Wylfa on Ynys Mon and a new nuclear power station in Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd were met by anti-nuclear campaigners.
The NFLA said they remain opposed to any new nuclear power stations and have a vision of a Wales where “every Welsh home and community is a renewable power station.”
An event to celebrate the the 40 years since all eight of the original Welsh County Councils declared themselves nuclear-free took place at the Pierhead Building in Cardiff Bay this week.
Vision
NFLA Secretary, Richard Outram described a vision where Wales could be powered by renewables alone.
Mr Outram said: “The Nuclear Free Local Authorities remain implacably opposed to any new nuclear power stations in Wales.
“Wales is blessed with many natural resources from which to draw power – her rivers, tides, sun and wind, even the untapped geothermal power that can be derived from the earth and the many abandoned coal mines.
“If we fitted new and existing homes and public buildings with insulation and energy efficiency measures, each would use less heat and power, reducing customers’ bills and their carbon footprint.”
Renewable
The NFLA Secretary went on to explain that homes with solar panels, heat pumps and battery storage could generate and store their own heat and power, making them independent of the National Grid.
Mr Outram said: “If this is combined with larger community, council or business led renewable projects, we can create a visionary and sustainable energy future for Wales more cost-effectively, more quickly and more safely.”
The event was sponsored and opened by Senedd Member Mike Hedges and hosted by CND Cymru.
The first half of the exhibition was moderated by CND Cymru Chair, Jill Evans and focused on the importance of building support for the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
The second half was chaired by Welsh NFLA Chair, Councillor Sue Lent and focused on the threat posed by proposals to site nuclear power plants at Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd and Wylfa on Ynys Mon.
CND Cymru Secretary, Dr Bethan Sian explained that in September, marchers walked from Trawsfynydd to Wylfa to protest the plans and outlined the many failings associated with nuclear power.
At the end of the event, participants signed the Cardiff Declaration affirming their belief that there is “absolutely no need for new nuclear power stations in Wales.”
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Small, localised power generation is the way forward, this was demonstrated quite starkly when Texas was hit by a huge snowstorm and the main grid went down but an area that had a localised power generation and storage facility remained active throughout the event. The problem with large nuclear reactors is that they need to be close to the sea or other very large water sources, however, the oceans are rising….and fresh water is getting low*… So…that’s not good, Fukushima is the obvious example of what happens when a nuclear power station is inundated with water. *We may want to… Read more »
Yes indeed. Rather than wastng all those millions on nukes it would make a great deal more sense to the use the Government share of the funding to retro-fit housing in Wales to bring it up to Passiv Haus standard or better. That would cost less and save energy for more years than the nukes would be generating.
“Nuclear is a future technology whose time has passed” First said 50y ago and even more correct today. Three Mile Island, Sellafield/Windscale, Chernobyl, Fukushima – hardly a role of honour.
Cymru cannot become independent with new nuclear plants. Stop it now and move on to a sustainable, safe energy strategy.