THE chairman of an influential Commons committee warned the high price of new nuclear power stations would be worth paying for cheaper energy bills over the long term.

The Scottish Government is opposed to the creation of new nuclear power stations in Scotland. Ministers say nuclear is costly and dangerous and that Scotland should focus on renewables.

Advocates say nuclear will help cut carbon emissions and "keep the lights on".

In England and Wales, the Tory-LibDem Coalition is attempting to push ahead with the creation of a new generation of nuclear plants. But ministers are struggling to attract firms into what could be a lucrative market, butwith high set-up costs.

Ministers are currently in talks with energy giant EDF in an attempt to offer enough incentives to persuade the French company to build the first new plant in decades.

Tim Yeo, chairman of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee, said it was worth paying the high price of new nuclear plants.

"Our view is the Government should go ahead and complete this negotiation in the clear expectation that future nuclear power stations would come at a much cheaper rate."

However, he also warned that the UK Government had little choice but to meet EDF's price demands.