Nuclear power massively unpopular with Scottish voters

Less than a quarter of Scots support building new nuclear power stations in Scotland, according to a new survey released today.

The results, compiled by pollsters 2collaborate for Greenpeace, also show that almost three quarters would prefer to use more renewable energy than energy from new nuclear plants.

And there was massive support in Scotland for what is known as combined heat and power (CHP) generation, which is almost three times more efficient than nuclear power. Almost nine in 10 Scots backed CHP – which maximises efficiency by capturing heat from power stations and using it in the local area, rather than have it disappear up cooling towers – over nuclear.

Yet, despite the public feelings against nuclear power stations and the looming Holyrood elections, Scottish Labour has refused to veto the building of new nuclear reactors.

Greenpeace campaigner Robin Oakley said: "Nuclear power is a dangerous distraction from the real solutions to tackling climate change and it rightly deserves to be so unpopular. It's a hideously expensive and ridiculously antiquated way to generate electricity.

"Scottish Labour's refusal to ditch any last vestiges of support for these outdated and unnecessary reactors leaves them completely out of kilter with the feelings of Scottish voters."

A recently released report by Greenpeace found that putting new nuclear power stations at the heart of Scotland's energy strategy will lead to higher carbon emissions, more reliance on gas and be more expensive when compared to using CHP and producing Scottish energy locally.

The report, called Decentralising Scottish Energy, concluded that 'decentralising' power – employing CHP to generate heat and electricity close to where it is needed – will negate any need for nuclear power, as well as being cheaper, less polluting and decreasing Scotland’s reliance on gas.

Download the survey results as a pdf.