Minister calls for UK to expand nuclear power

The UK business secretary has alarmed the global anti-nuclear lobby by calling for a huge expansion of nuclear power, which he predicts could lead to a £20 billion (almost US$40 billion) economic bonanza for Britain, the Guardian reported on Wednesday.
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John Hutton said nuclear power could benefit the economy as much North Sea oil and create 100,000 new jobs. "I want Britain to be leading the world in the development and application of this new generation of low carbon power technology," he said.

The speech, one of the most pro-nuclear delivered by a government minister, comes before an Anglo-French announcement to cooperate on nuclear power expansion. But the announcement was controversial, in part because of safety concerns about nuclear waste.

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