Nuclear adviser attacks 'perverse' idea of Chinese building UK reactors
Source: Guardian
Prof Dieter Helm also identifies security pitfalls as unions accuse government of sacrificing safety for free-market ideology over Hinkley Point C plant
A leading energy academic and government adviser has called on ministers to take an equity stake in the planned new Hinkley Point C nuclear plant in Somerset, saying it would not make sense to prefer Chinese money.
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“It is a no-brainer,” said Helm. “Add in the military and security issues of letting Chinese state-owned companies into the heart of the British nuclear industry, and it seems positively perverse to prefer Chinese government money to British government money in so sensitive a national project.”
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Meanwhile the attack on government nuclear policy from the GMB union came after comments from Amber Rudd, the energy and climate change secretary, left the door open to Chinese state companies building and operating a new plant at Bradwell, in Essex.
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The comments from the GMB followed a wider BBC Today programme interview with Rudd on the phasing out of wind subsidies. In the interview the energy secretary sidestepped an opportunity to rule out a Chinese-built and operated plant at Bradwell, saying that any new atomic power station would face stringent British safety regulation.
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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jun/18/nuclear-adviser-attacks-chinese-uk-reactors-dieter-helm-hinkley
Dieter Robin Helm CBE (born 11 November 1956) is a British economist, Professor of Energy Policy at the University of Oxford, and Fellow in Economics at New College, Oxford.[1][2][3]
He is also a member of the Economics Advisory Group to the British Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, and Chair of the Natural Capital Committee.[1][4][5]
The NCC was set up as an independent advisory Committee following a key UK Government Natural Environment White Paper commitment in 2011. It has a three year term and formally reports to the Economic Affairs Committee. The Government's Economic Affairs Committee is chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It will be reviewed towards the end of this three year term to decide whether or not it should continue.
The Committee is chaired by Professor Dieter Helm. It has seven members from academia and business who have expertise and experience in ecology and environmental science, economics and business.
GMB Union is a general trade union in the United Kingdom which has more than 631,000 members. GMB members work in nearly all industrial sectors, in retail, security, schools, distribution and the utilities, social care, the NHS and ambulance service and local government.
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GMB is one of the three largest affiliates to the Labour Party. It is a significant financial contributor to the Party's national and local organisation.[5] GMB gives Labour invests up to £2m a year in affiliation fees and other funds, making it the third largest union donor to the party.[6]
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... of building a nuclear power plant at today's sea level.
They'll have to start decommisioning it before it's even switched on. 
