Hydroelectricity may be the future

Still less viable, nuclear power stations are even more costly to build, demolish and decontaminate when worn out, vulnerable to political attack from foreign fuel suppliers, military or terrorist attack, accident and earth movement.

Any of these possibilities with leakage from radioactive waste dumps would creat an horrendous long-lasting health threat to both present and future generations.

Despite the example of Chernobyl and recent Japanese nuclear disasters, with the German government’s decision to decommission and not replace existing nuclear power stations, the British government has predictably decided to place these two types of energy production at the head of its priority list for development.

Alternatives such as solar and geothermal energy have been discussed but apparently little or no consideration to the massive potential of hydroelectricity, which basically is power from running water, has been given.

From the colossal Itaipu Dam on the Parana River in South America which supplies electricity to 23 million people, to towns, small communities and properties throughout the world, including the UK, standing on wide or narrow waterways, have their energy supplied by this means.

With the potential of rising and falling tides by which our island is surrounded, nationwide goverment or privately sponsored further development of this would, like wind or nuclear energy, be immensely expensive.

Unlike these however, it would provide a clean, high volume, safe, permanent and independent supply of electricity to the UK.

To achieve this our government must abandon its current inadequate and highly dangerous energy policies and, for once, despite the scale and cost of the project, plan and invest for the future. - R. Pountain, Wincote Close, Kenilworth.