Scotland Rejects Nuclear Power

The Scottish Parliament has voted to block any new nuclear power stations in the country, a week after British Prime Minister Gordon Brown gave the go-ahead for a new generation of UK power stations.

Scottish MPs voted 63 to 58 in favour of the rejection, a decision which Scotland's Energy Minister Jim Mather says hails "a clean, bright future for Scottish energy."

The vote will give the Scottish Government solid parliamentary backing to pursue its own future energy needs.

MP's in favour of building new nuclear power stations are worried the decision will result in blackouts across the country and the loss of hundreds of jobs at Scotland's two existing nuclear stations, Torness and Hunterston.

By staff writer