Dec 21 - Belfast News Letter, The

Anti-nuclear demonstrators staged a dramatic protest yesterday which disrupted an announcement by the Prime Minister of a review into the UK's energy needs.

As Tony Blair was preparing to unveil details which could lead to a new generation of nuclear power stations being built, two activists from Greenpeace scaled the roof structure of a conference hall, delaying his address by an hour.

They dropped hundreds of bright yellow coloured stickers on to delegates at the Confederation of British Industry conference in London, forcing Mr Blair to make his speech in a smaller hall nearby.

The protesters, Huw Williams and Nyls Verhauelt, were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and were taken away by police.

They had gained official delegate passes last week by giving the name of a bogus company, E-Lingo, and smuggled metal harnesses through the security cordon at the Business Design Centre in Islington.

The Prime Minister tried to laugh off the incident when he eventually delivered his speech in a crowded hall, joking: "This is going to be a surreal occasion."

Speaking from a hastily-erected podium, he finally confirmed details of the energy review, saying that the issue was "back on the agenda with a vengeance".

He said: "Round the world you can sense feverish re-thinking. Energy prices have risen. Energy supply is under threat. Climate change is producing a sense of urgency."

Mr Blair said the review would be led by Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks and would aim to publish a statement on future policy in the early summer of 2006.

"It will include specifically the issue of whether we facilitate the development of a new generation of nuclear power stations," Mr Blair said.

He acknowledged that nuclear power was a "difficult and challenging" issue, adding: "What we need is a serious debate, not one conducted by protest or demonstration to stop people expressing their views."

The Government will look at nuclear power along with renewables and coal, gas and new technologies as part of the review, Mr Wicks pledged.

The move, which comes nearly three years after the last landmark investigation into the country's power supplies, would also include transport and the role of energy efficiency.

The aim of the review was to ensure "clean, reliable, affordable energy supplies for the long term", said Mr Wicks, adding: "We believe that this is the right time to review progress against our White Paper objectives published in 2003 to make sure we are on track."

Industry and trade unions welcomed the announcement, although environmental groups warned they would step up protests against nuclear energy.

Stephen Tindale, director of Greenpeace UK, said: "Nuclear power is not the answer to climate change - it's costly, dangerous and a terrorist target.

"Just three years ago Blair conducted the biggest energy review in 60 years - which concluded renewable energy and energy efficiency, not nuclear, is the way forward.