Greenpeace occupy Sizewell in 2002: 72% say no to nuclear power

150 Greenpeace volunteers have entered the site of Sizewell B nuclear power station as part of a campaign against Government plans to build a new generation of nuclear power stations. The volunteers have not entered any building or interfered with the operation of the plant but have peacefully occupied roof tops around the site. The volunteers plan to maintain a safe, peaceful and non-violent occupation of the site until the Government commits to ending the British nuclear programme.

The volunteers entered the Sizewell B site unopposed at around 7.00am via both the main gatehouse and the perimeter fence which backs onto the beach. Many of the volunteers are wearing Homer Simpson and Tony Blair costumes as a comment on the stupidity of current Government thinking over nuclear power. All of the volunteers are wearing indicator badges to monitor exposure to radiation and are adhering to an overall radiation management plan to minimise risk.

Blake Lee-Harwood, one of those peacefully occupying the plant said:

"The Government seems intent on building a new generation of nuclear power stations despite the dangers and overwhelming public opposition. Britain went down the nuclear road before and we ended up with a contaminated environment and a £0 billion bill for the taxpayer. It seems unbelievable that this Government intends to repeat the mistake when we could easily generate our power from renewable sources such as wind and solar. Wind farms off the coast of East Anglia alone could generate as much electricity as all of Britain's nuclear plants"

Sizewell B was the last nuclear power station to be built in Britain and will probably be the site of the first of a new generation in coming years. The Energy Minister, Brian Wilson, has repeatedly argued for a new generation of atomic plants to be built and the Prime Minister has backed nuclear power in the past. The Government's recent consultation on Britain's energy future asked questions based on the concept: "How can we make nuclear power more acceptable to the public" - not if people wanted more nuclear plants. There is already a prepared site next to Sizewell B where a new 'Sizewell C' would be built.

Greenpeace believes that all nuclear power stations can be closed by the time of the next general election and the next government could lead a nuclear-free Britain. Greenpeace believes that nuclear power is unsafe, uneconomic and unpopular:

Unsafe, because nuclear power stations create dangerous radioactive wastes that last for hundreds of thousands of years and discharge radioactivity to the environment on a daily basis. Nuclear power plants are also vulnerable to terrorist attack with appalling consequences. There is no safe level of exposure to radiation.

Uneconomic, because nuclear power generation creates vast radioactive legacies for which there is no safe solution. The total liabilities of the British nuclear programme amount to £0 billion which will be paid for by the taxpayer. Power from wind farms is cheaper than power from nuclear generation. British Energy, the owner of Sizewell, is currently in a dire financial position and close to bankruptcy.

Unpopular, because the majority of British people do not want nuclear power. A recent MORI poll showed that 72% of respondents said they preferred clean, renewable energy from sources such as wind and solar rather than new nuclear power stations (1)

A recent study by AEA Technology (formerly the Atomic Energy Authority) found that forty wind farms off the coast of East Anglia could produce as much electricity as all the nuclear power stations in Britain (2). Such a scheme would create 60,000 jobs. Even with the UK's nuclear plants closed there would still be significant numbers of jobs decommissioning nuclear power stations and looking after the stockpiles of radioactive waste already created which will remain dangerous for thousands of years.

Notes to editors:
(1) MORI poll, May 2002
www.mori.com/polls/2002greenpeace-energy.shtml
(2) Sea Wind East report, July 2002
www.greenpeace.org.uk/seawindeast.htm

Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace press office on 0207 865 8255