CPS Research Fellow Tony Lodge spoke to BBC News on nuclear power as part of an article on five big questions that need answering post-election, Tuesday 12 May 2015.
“But despite energy prices being a regular debate topic over the past five years, they didn’t feature much during the election period. “Timing favoured the Conservatives,” says Tony Lodge, an energy expert at the Centre for Policy Studies.
The collapse of oil prices resulted in an immediate consumer retail dip in prices, which “completely negated and neutralised the debate”, Lodge says, a boon for an issue that risked being a major point of contention – particularly for the Conservatives – up until autumn of last year.
Nevertheless, the Conservative manifesto pledged a “significant expansion” in new nuclear energy. The centrepiece of this pledge will revolve around a new plant in Somerset – Hinkley C. In 2013 the coalition government agreed to the £24.5bn construction of two new nuclear reactors at the site, which is projected to be operational by 2023.”
To read the full article, visit the BBC News website.
Date Added: Tuesday 12th May 2015
