Letter: Risks and rewards of nuclear power

Sir: Your leading article 'A nuclear juggernaut that must be stopped' (29 June) is typical of the sort of short-term view that does no favours to future generations. Currently, only a tiny minority of our planet's population enjoy a reasonable standard of living, and for this proportion to increase we must be able to provide their energy requirements.

Yes, we can perhaps control population growth and learn to be more energy efficient, but the stark truth is that a global increase in living standards will require massive additional demands on our dwindling fuel supplies. This is why, in the long term, our ability to safely manage the recycling of nuclear fuels will become of vital importance.

Thorp, the Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant at Sellafield, will lead the world in nuclear recycling and waste management once operational. As with any new technology, we will only learn and improve safety and efficiency through operational experience. Provided this learning is carried out under close supervision (no industry today is so closely monitored) and we, the public, are prepared to balance acceptable risk with the benefits of progress, then future generations will gratefully reap the reward.

Yours faithfully,

RICHARD BELL

Cockermouth, Cumbria

29 June