Considering nuclear power

[Uwila]

I just wonder what people think of the possibility of a revival of nuclear power. With price of oil and gas these days, are we prepared to look at nuclear as an option. Just wondered if any has an opion pn the matter?

Below copied from \lin{http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2006/04/28/afx2705263.html\Forbes}

LONDON (AFX) - Prime Minister Tony Blair has taken a firm decision to back the building of a new generation of nuclear power plants as part of the review of the country's energy needs that will be published this summer, the Financial Times reported.

Without citing sources the newspaper said Blair has taken the view that it will be impossible to use other clean technologies such as wind power or clean coal to make up the 20 pct of Britain's energy needs currently provided by the nuclear sector.

The FT said he has therefore removed the last remaining doubt about whether the government would renew the UK's nuclear programme and has given the green light for a policy statement, expected to be followed by a white paper, to back nuclear power later this year.

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Many reports do say oil and natural gas could well run out in 40-70 years \link{http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3995135.stm\here} and this is what I have previously, and fairly consistently, read in the broadsheet newspapers. other sources say oilfields will continue to be discovered, BUT oil consumption continues to rise with demand from new urbanised countries.

Some soar panel facts \link{http://www.cat.org.uk/information/catinfo.tmpl?command=search&db=catinfo.db&eqSKUdatarq=20020210164613\here}
You can get grants of up to 50% for installation costs, apparantly!

What I've read on here is interesting. Not gone too deeply into it yet.

\link{http://www.theyellowhouse.org.uk/\the yellow house}

Of course oil fields will continue to be discovered. No oil field lasts for 100 years. And there is a LOT of oil in politically unstable environments. So in 30-40 years there may be access to a lot that is off limits now. Also, as our technology to extract it from the ground develops, we can access more of it.

Anyway, I do accept that the supply is probably finite. But, I think 50 years is a very short time estimate.