For the immediate future it looks as though Nuclear is going to be part of the energy mix. But when we look at the costs for just one power station for decommissioning, then it really brings into focus; how and why power is going to get increasingly expensive. But perhaps even more concerning given that we have had decades to prepare is the lack of plan to actually deal with the waste - as for it being safe........
A recent report from the Public Accounts Committee's says deadlines to clean the Sellafield site in Cumbria have been missed, leaving crucial decommissioning projects over budget.
Last week Cumbria County Council rejected proposals to build a new underground nuclear waste storage facility in the area.
This report follows criticisms by the National Audit Office (NAO) in November. They said the rundown buildings posed "intolerable risks to people and the environment". Margaret Hodge MP, chairwoman of the committee, said an "enormous legacy" of nuclear waste had been allowed to build up at the plant.
"Over decades, successive governments have failed to get to grips with this critical problem, to the point where the total lifetime cost of decommissioning the site has now reached £67.5 billion, and there's no indication of when that cost will stop rising," she said.
"Furthermore, a solution to the problem of long-term storage of the waste is as far away as
ever."
John Clarke, chief executive officer of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), said prior to the NDA's formation there was no credible lifetime plan for Sellafield.
He said: "Tough decisions about how we ultimately decommission the site had simply been put off for future generations to deal with.''
Certainly makes the cost of renewables look cheap and obviously without the safety risk. Cumbria seems a long way in the car from many UK inhabitants. But it's only a historical blink since radiation covered parts of Europe from Chernobyl all the way from Russia. And we all this in the hope we will have a plan in place when it's time to decommission, mmmm
Fission: How is nuclear power generated?