UK government shared intelligence with nuclear industry, documents show

Source: The Guardian

The British government has been quietly exchanging intelligence on key policies with multinational companies in an effort to protect and promote their plans for new nuclear power stations, according to internal documents seen by the Guardian.

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) has also passed the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA), which represents 260 companies, and the French nuclear company, EDF Energy, details of its court battle against Greenpeace, which is trying to block the nuclear plans.

The leakage of information has been condemned by Greenpeace as an "abuse of power" that prevents democratic scrutiny. The environmental group's lawyers have written to the government and the high court in London complaining that the proper legal procedures have been breached.

With the government planning to build eight new nuclear power stations in England and Wales, there is a perception that ministers have been working closely with the industry to manage public opinion and prevent the kind of backlash against the technology that has happened in Germany and Italy.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/dec/05/uk-government-intelligence-nuclear-industry