At what cost do we build Wylfa B?

In the Daily Post today there is a letter from our very own MP (Albert Owen, just in case you had forgotten) about 'mixed messages on future of nuclear'.

In the letter he says "What future investors in nuclear technology and the supply chain want is clarity and certainty. Strong commitments."

But at what cost? - we know that nuclear power is not cheap, but surely there must be a point when you say sorry this is far too expensive.

OK, in the short term there would be benefits for the island if a new power station was built. But if this means even more expensive electricity bills, surely one needs to question whether in the long term its a viable solution for our electricity needs.

Keep the military involved in SAR-H

U.S Coast Guard in Action

Before Albert Owen MP tries to claim the credit for the suspension of the proposed PFI SAR-H contract, here are some interesting facts:

The current debate about SAR-H capabilities began as far back as 2000.

Understandably the priority for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is to provide more than enough military helicopters to support our troops.

It was the previous Labour Government that began to privatise the SAR-H with; in the long-term, the expensive PFI model.

Concerns where raised back in 2008 about likely conflict of interests in the bidding process and that of commercial confidentiality. One consortium withdrew from the process because of the concerns raised.

On coming into power the Coalition Government initially delayed the process to carry out a review, as there were concerns about the final cost of the PFI scheme. However they were minded to award the contract as the cost of cancelling would have been prohibitively expensive.

In essence it shows once again that there is a serious problem with procurement at the MOD

The important thing for me is that the RAF and Navy are still involved in SAR, and my simple question is why the need to privatise it all - if we cant afford to buy the helicopters outright why not just lease the helicopters we want?

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BBC News- oh too late Albert Owen MP tries to claim credit