Its electricity generation policy still prioritises offshore wind, onshore wind and rooftop solar as the primary sources of electricity, but allows elected representatives to support new nuclear reactors on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n
The Green MP Carla Denyer said the decision recognised there was a role for nuclear while the country moved towards an electricity system based primarily on renewables. \u201cThis evolution of our policy does not commit the party to backing new nuclear, but accepts this power source is here to stay for now, while we transition to electricity generation based primarily on renewable sources,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Denyer said keeping existing nuclear stations running could be a low-carbon option because a significant proportion of their carbon footprint came from construction. \u201cSo if I were energy secretary, my evidence-based approach would be to keep existing nuclear plants in operation, but to consider proposals for new nuclear power very carefully, bearing in mind the cost, speed and environmental impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her comments strike a different tone from her assessment in 2023, when she described nuclear energy as \u201cincredibly slow and incredibly expensive\u201d. She said at the time: \u201cRenewables is simply the way forward. Nuclear is not going to help us out in this climate emergency.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other senior Greens have previously criticised the technology. The party\u2019s leader, Zack Polanski, has described it as outdated and compared investment in new nuclear reactors to \u201ccreating a fax machine\u201d.<\/p>\n
Last year, Adrian Ramsay, then a Green co-leader, criticised government support for Sizewell C. \u201cThe money being spent on this nuclear gamble would be far better spent on insulating and retrofitting millions of homes, bringing down energy bills and keeping people warmer and more comfortable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Green\u2019s previous opposition to nuclear fission was rooted in its staunch opposition of nuclear weapons, one of the party\u2019s founding principles.<\/p>\n
Eugene McCarthy, a co-founder of Greens for Nuclear and a supporter of the motion, said the urgency of the climate crisis demanded a willingness to consider all available options. \u201cWe are at the throw-the-kitchen-sink-at-it phase of the climate crisis where you cannot be ruling anything out for things like Chernobyl happening in the 1980s,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The motion allows elected representatives to assess individual proposals on their merits, McCarthy said. \u201cWe will not say we support or don\u2019t support any particular technology. This motion basically lets our elected members of parliament take it on a case-by-case basis and go: \u2018This makes sense, we will extend the lifetime of Sizewell B,\u2019 and on a different case say: \u2018Actually the numbers don\u2019t add up here.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
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