With low carbon prices, spiralling construction costs and the glacial pace of the UK planning regime, Britain’s nuclear industry already has plenty of things to worry about.
But now it is facing opposition from an unexpected and formidable force: British women, who remain stubbornly opposed to the construction of new nuclear power plants, according to a report due to be unveiled today by the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA).
Twenty-five years after Greenham Common, the figures show the split in attitudes to nuclear energy between the sexes remains acute in Britain, and the industry is sufficiently worried by the trend to have commissioned a detailed study of female attitudes by Ipsos Mori.
While the NIA is keeping mum about the results until later today, the most recent figures available show that about 46 per cent of British men are in favour of building new nuclear stations, compared with just 26 per cent of women.
Although public support for new nuclear plants is growing in Britain amid concerns about climate change, expect plenty more resources to be thrown at the problem over the next few years as Britain’s nuclear industry attempts to rebrand the macho nuclear power station as something much softer.
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In fact, this effort appears to have begun already. EDF, the UK’s biggest nuclear operator, has already launched an ad campaign clearly targeted at women, featuring images of the company’s female employees.