Britain can meet its future energy needs and reduce polluting emissions without building nuclear power stations, said a report for WWF out Tuesday as the government considers its options.
"The Balance of Power", commissioned from independent consultants ILEX by the WWF environment group, showed that by cutting energy waste and increasing renewable energy sources, the power sector could reduce emissions by 55 percent by 2025.
"This report shows that a renewed focus on reducing demand for electricity and increasing the use of renewable energy and microgeneration would make new nuclear power redundant," said Keith Allott, WWF's head of climate change.
"We can not only meet energy demand without resorting to new nuclear power, but with the right measures we can reduce emissions from electricity generation too."
WWF has submitted the report to the government's review into Britain's future energy supplies, which is due out later this year and is widely expected to recommend reviving Britain's nuclear power programme.
Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is widely believed to be in favour of building new nuclear power plants, ordered the review late last year.
The WWF report looked at future carbon dioxide emissions and energy generation under the assumption that no new nuclear power plants were built.
It said modest measures to stem the growth of electricity demand and increase renewable energy to 25 percent of total production by 2025 could help the power sector to cut emissions by 55 percent from 1990 levels.
WWF is urging the government to introduce year-on-year limits on pollution from the power sector.
Britain currently has around a dozen nuclear power stations, most of them built in the 1960s and 1970s, providing around 25 percent of the kingdom's electricity. Natural gas provides about 40 percent.
Source: Agence France-Presse
