Proceeding contribution from David TC Davies (Conservative) in the House of Commons on Thursday, 10 March 2011. It occurred during Grand Committee proceedings (HC) on UK Government's Energy Policy.
UK Government's Energy Policy
I have done that many times. I suspect that not every scientist in the UK will be poring over the report of this debate. The answer to the hon. Lady’s point is that there are two isotopes of uranium— uranium 235 and uranium 237—one of which is in use in most nuclear power stations across the world. I think it might be—I listen out for inspiration. Let me guess that it is 235, and there is apparently about 50 years’ worth left. The other isotope can be used in certain types of nuclear power stations, most of which are under test at the moment. There is a lot of it about, and if the supply ever fails—I think that there is several hundred years’ worth—then it is possible, believe it or not, to get fissionable material out of sea water. There are plenty of alternatives to the currently used uranium, of which there is a 50 year supply. So I do not think that security of supply will ever be an issue with nuclear power stations. In any case, the next generation of nuclear power stations would only be expected to last 50 years or so—so this is unlikely to trouble us—by which time one would hope that we would have developed cold fusion plants and might have moved on in technological terms.
Secondary information
- Type
- Proceeding contribution
- Reference
- WGC c39-40
- Session
- 2010-12
- Chamber / Committee
- House of Commons Grand Committees
- Subjects
- Conservation Coal Carbon capture and storage Energy Electricity generation Nuclear power Railways Prices Wales Renewable energy Electrification
- Link
- View this Proceeding contribution on www.publications.parliament.uk
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- 2023-12-15 21:17:24 +0000
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- http://data.parliament.uk/pimsdata/hansard/CONTRIBUTION_735137
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