Connarty Attacks SNP Energy Policy.

Michael Connarty attacks the present Scottish Governments inadequate energy policy.

Linlithgow and East Falkirk MP, Michael Connarty, has claimed that First Minister, Alex Salmond is a ‘one eyed man’ when it comes to nuclear energy.

Speaking in a Commons debate on EU energy policy, Mr Connarty, who is Secretary of the Parliamentary Nuclear Power group, said, “We certainly have a one eyed man in the First Minister of Scotland, because he and his party are entirely against the use of nuclear power.”

He pointed out that SNP over reliance on wind energy was flawed as, “70% of the time the blades of the turbines are not turning.” Nuclear power will continue to be needed as a baseload generator to ‘keep the lights on’.

Michael Connarty made it clear he is not against wind power and praised SNP government policy on renewable energy, but observed that, “The contradiction, unfortunately, is that when that party is in power in local government, it often votes against planning applications for onshore wind farms, even to the dismay of the local community.”

Mr Connarty further maintained that nuclear energy with fuel reprocessing should be viewed as renewable energy. “I ask people this question: how much of a fuel rod can be reprocessed and reused? They are surprised to find that it is 96%. If we want a low carbon source of renewable fuel, then, clearly, it is nuclear with mixed-oxide fuels and reprocessing.”

Current SNP opposition to nuclear power is “a sort of blindness,” he concluded. “Hopefully, the SNP can be persuaded that nuclear power is part of the mix.”

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