Survey reveals majority of MSPs oppose new stations

The new Scottish parliament is heading for a confrontation with Gordon Brown's government in Westminster over new nuclear power stations, plans for which are due to be unveiled this week.

A survey of the MSPs elected to Holyrood this month reveals that a clear majority are opposed to the building of any more reactors in Scotland. MSPs who say they are against nuclear power outnumber those who said they are in favour by three to one.

This is bound to pose problems for Brown, the incoming prime minister, who is expected to endorse Tony Blair's scheme for a new generation of reactors to help combat climate change.

Blair's delayed white paper on energy policy is scheduled to be published on Wednesday. It will endorse a new nuclear power programme as part of a package of measures designed to cut the pollution that causes global warming.

Publication of the white paper had to be postponed after the environmental group Greenpeace won a high court challenge against the government. A public consultation on nuclear power was ruled "misleading and procedurally unfair" and now has to be rerun.

The survey of newly elected MSPs, conducted by Friends of the Earth Scotland, found 72 opposed to the building of new nuclear power stations in Scotland. That is well over half (56%) of all 129 MSPs.

Only 24 MSPs (19%) declared their support for a nuclear programme, with three undecided and 30 failing to respond. Twenty-five of the 30 who didn't respond were from the Labour Party.

Labour is known to be divided on nuclear power, with some MSPs, including Dumfries's Elaine Murray, in favour, and others, such as former minister Malcolm Chisholm, opposed.

"I believe that Scotland's future energy needs can be met by a massive expansion of renewable energy from a range of sources as well as a major drive on insulation and the development of new technologies such as clean coal," argued Chisholm.

The Labour group's pro-nuclear lobby has been weakened by the loss of former minister Allan Wilson, who was defeated by the Scottish National Party in Cunninghame North by just 48 votes. "All proposals for new carbon-free power generation in Scotland deserve to be treated rather more seriously than your approach suggests," Wilson told Friends of the Earth.

The SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson, who won the seat containing Hunterston nuclear station from Wilson, said that he was "completely opposed to the building of new nuclear power stations". Every other SNP MSP who responded to the survey took a similar view.

The Liberal Democrats - bar the Caithness MSP Jamie Stone - were against nuclear power, as were the two Greens and the independent Margo MacDonald. Almost all Conservative MSPs declared themselves in favour.

"This week's energy white paper looks like putting Westminster on a collision course with the Scottish parliament," said Duncan McLaren, the chief executive of Friends of the Earth Scotland.

"Should Gordon Brown attempt to implement Blair's radioactive legacy by imposing nuclear power stations on Scotland he can now be sure it will be met with stiff opposition."

McLaren argued that the results of the survey couldn't be clearer. "Like the public, the majority of MSPs realise that nuclear power is nothing other than a white elephant. Any attempt to foist new nuclear power on Scotland would be an expensive, ineffective and risky distraction from measures to address climate change."

The new SNP-led Scottish Executive responded to the survey by firing a clear warning shot across the Westminster government's bow. "The new Scottish government made clear its position during the election campaign," an Executive spokesman told the Sunday Herald.

"It will not support new nuclear power stations in Scotland. Any further applications for new power stations in Scotland that generate more than 50 megawatts would require planning permission from Scottish ministers."

Because the SNP only controls a minority of seats at Holyrood, it may need the support of MSPs from other parties to stop nuclear stations from being built north of the border.

Blair's white paper this week is not expected to specify where nuclear stations should be sited. But existing nuclear plants are thought to be the most likely locations, including Hunterston in North Ayrshire, Torness in East Lothian, Chapelcross in Dumfries and Galloway, and Dounreay in Caithness.