Sir Bernard argued Dounreay 'should be part of the answer' to energy crisis
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The death of Sir Bernard Ingham will evoke memories of the strong pro-nuclear views held by Margaret Thatcher's former chief press secretary which he expressed in typically forthright style at a meeting in Thurso 18 years ago.
Sir Bernard, who died on Friday at the age of 90, served in No 10 throughout Mrs Thatcher's time as Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990.
The former journalist, a Yorkshireman who was known for his blunt, straight-talking approach, later became secretary of Supporters of Nuclear Energy.
In that capacity he gave a speech at Thurso's North Highland College in January 2005 in which he argued that a new nuclear reactor at Dounreay could play a part in solving the UK’s coming energy crisis and help sustain the Caithness economy.
UK government plans to provide a fifth of electricity needs from renewable sources and hydro power by 2020 were “a pipe dream”, Sir Bernard told an audience of about 100 at North Highland College.
“The hard fact is that over the next 20 to 25 years renewables are going to make a marginal impact, at best,” Sir Bernard claimed. He accused the government of indulging in “green tokenism” to show it was doing something about global warming.
Sir Bernard criticised proposals to import gas from the Middle East and Russia and argued that the only way forward was to build more nuclear reactors as part of a balanced energy policy. He said there should be a mix of coal, gas, nuclear and renewables to ensure supply and meet increasing demands.
Sir Bernard – who was director of information in the departments of employment and energy, and was the first head of the Department of Energy’s energy conservation division – acknowledged that renewables had a role, but not at the expense of the nuclear industry.
“They can’t be ruled out in the future but for the present they cannot provide a practical answer to a safe and reliable source of energy,” he told the meeting.
He insisted that what was required was more commissioning of nuclear power stations. Dounreay's decommissioning programme would create jobs for a number of years but he maintained the Caithness economy would suffer without the nuclear industry.
“Dounreay should be part of the answer to the crisis we face. It is an established site and the people here have substantial experience in the industry and are familiar with handling radioactive waste,” Sir Bernard said.
“It is an essential part of the infrastructure of this area, incorporates a wide range of skills, from manual work to the leading edge of technology, and keeps the Caithness economy going.”
Sir Bernard also paid tribute to the late Dr Eric Voice, a respected Dounreay scientist.
“Dr Voice taught me a great deal about nuclear energy,” Sir Bernard said.
He recalled that he had travelled to Chernobyl in 1994 with Dr Voice, who was one of the first Western scientists to visit the plant after the 1986 nuclear explosion. Dr Voice made several visits to Ukraine to research the effects of the accident on plant and animal life.
“We did not find a wasteland but a land teeming with wildlife, peasants filtering back to their homes and scientists working in laboratories,” Sir Bernard said.
During his visit to Thurso he was guest of honour at a dinner held by Caithness Conservatives.
