Conference Q&A - Nuclear Industry Association
Tris Denton from Nuclear Industry Association tells ePolitix.com why they are at the Labour party conference in Manchester.
ePolitix.com: Are you going to all three major party conferences?
Tris Denton: All four actually - we were at the TUC conference as well as Labour, the Tories and the Lib Dems.
What are the key message you want to get across this year?
We are here to have a conversation, to explain to people what benefits we think nuclear power can bring to the UK energy mix, in terms of employment, and we are here to answer their questions.
Nuclear is one of those areas where people have a lot of concerns and worries, particularly last week at the Lib Dems.
We want to answer questions and make people a bit more comfortable with nuclear and with the electricity we generate.
What are the most common questions delegates ask?
Climate change, carbon emissions, we are on a par with wind power in terms of carbon, but our stations can generate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
People are always reassured when we tell them we are not looking for a subsidy, we are completely privately-funded industry for new build and we are not looking for government handouts.
People also ask about how we manage our waste streams and we explain that we have been managing it safely here in the UK for more than 50 years.
Moving forward we have a process clearly in place towards a deep geological repository, which is going to provide a final storage solution for nuclear waste.
Is is value for money having a presence at party conferences? What are the benefits?
First, it is an opportunity to engage.
The nuclear industry in the past has been perhaps mistrusted, people saw it as secretive, we are here to say we are an open, modern industry, we are transparent.
We have to be careful with our member's money, but I think being here and talking to MPs, to delegates, councillors, to all sort of activists, is a very good use of that money and the right thing for us to be doing.
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