Blair Wants New Nuclear Plants

Prime Minister Tony Blair plans to begin construction of new nuclear plants in Britain, The Times of London reports.

The newspaper said Blair not only wants new nuclear generating stations but plans to speed up the process so the first can be under way in less than a decade.

Although a government report two years ago came down against nuclear power, Blair has decided it is the only way the country can get an adequate energy supply while reducing emissions of air pollutants, his advisors told the Times.

Margaret Beckett, the environment secretary and the government’s leading critic of nuclear power, hinted she would support Blair.

I’ve always accepted we can’t afford to close the door on nuclear, she said in an interview with the BBC.

Blair hopes to have a new report from a government commission by next summer.