Letter: Balance of power
To provide the same reliable electricity supply as a nuclear power station an equivalent capacity wind farm has to be partnered by an equivalent capacity gas generator, but the carbon emissions reductions of the wind/gas fuelled partnership would only be a quarter of those achieved by the nuclear plant and their combined construction costs would be roughly twice as much.
So, for the same price, nuclear power is eight times more effective in reducing carbon emissions than is the wind farm/gas fuelled alternative. It is Chris Huhne's failure to understand and act upon these simple truths that is the root cause of the increased electricity bills that he is so keen to foist upon us.
William Oxenham
Easter Currie Place
Currie, Edinburgh