Hurdles Remain for Nuclear Comeback in Europe

[bananas]

A review of "a two-day nuclear energy conference organized last week in Brussels by Marketforce, a public relations company."

http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2009/03/31/31climatewire-hurdles-still-remain-for-europes-nuclear-ren-10358.html?pagewanted=all

Hurdles Remain for Nuclear Comeback in Europe
By JEAN-MARIE MACABREY, ClimateWire
Published: March 31, 2009

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Yet the overall tone of the conference was generally far less upbeat than Davies' remarks. Several speakers mentioned a fact with which all participants are all too familiar: Though "global warming is good for nuclear energy," as one speaker bluntly put it, the industry remains unpopular with most Europeans.

Public opinion: still thumbs down

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The industry is keenly aware, however, that its poor image is largely due not to a lack of good PR but to a dearth of satisfactory solutions to the tricky problem of nuclear waste. "To have public support, we need to solve the final disposal issue," said E.ON's Güldner.

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Europeans are much more convinced of the risks attached to nuclear waste than they are of the potentially positive effects of nuclear energy on the climate -- a viewpoint the industry is promoting to polish its image.

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But public acceptance is not the only major hurdle the European "nuclear energy renaissance" must overcome. Another is financing.

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Little political support yet in Germany

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Hopes may be soaring, but construction money isn't

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