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		We need nuclear and coal fired power stations Plenary Speech - Wednesday, 24th February 2010 Madame Chairman Some of the amendments we are considering tonight reflect our manic obsession with renewables. We are still concerned in this House about CO2 emissions, even as the theory of man-made climate change collapses before our eyes. If we really want to reduce CO2 emissions, then we need nuclear power stations. Yet we have constructed incentives that distort the market in favour of renewables and against nuclear power. European economies need competitive, reliable, mainstream, base-load electricity generation. Nuclear can deliver that. But the pathetic, intermittent trickle of electricity from wind farms cannot be relied on to drive European industries. Many EU countries, including my own, face a looming energy crunch during this decade, not least because of the Large Combustion Plant Directive. We need to be building more nuclear and coal-fired power stations, fast. If we don’t, then the lights will be going out. Watch a video of this speech