New nuclear power stations would not stop climate change. Even at the most optimistic build rate - 10 new reactors by 2024 – our carbon emissions would only be cut by four per cent: far too little, far too late. Given the nuclear industry’s poor track record it's highly unlikely that ten reactors could be built within two decades. The most contemporary example of building a new reactor is in Finland; just one year into construction, the completion date has been delayed by 18 months and its costs have spiralled by up to 2 billion Euros over budget.
Worse still, new investment in nuclear power and its infrastructure will block development of renewable energy and energy efficiency – the real solutions to climate change.