Professor John Robertson OBA
In the i in April 2025, the above and:
Sometimes he would patrol rural lanes on foot, carrying his assault rifle, looking out for any terrorists hiding in the countryside. On other assignments he would man machine guns mounted on armoured ships, watching for any sign of hostile vessels coming his way. Or he would drive in weapons-laden road convoys, monitoring potential threats from vehicles.
While serving as an armed officer with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC), Matt Okuhara saw every aspect of how the UK’s nuclear power stations and their radioactive fuel are protected from terrorists.
He spent years escorting the transport of uranium fuel to and from plants, which would be planned for months in advance. “Nuclear material is at its most vulnerable when it’s in transit,” he explains. “You’ve got to move it as secretly as possible.”
His main point is that this would be impossible with the very large number of these small sites planned compared to the current 9 large stations.
This comes on top of other serious concerns discussed here:
More waste, more cancer?
Click on the above for full report.
Dependence on Russia?
Higher costs?
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
This entire SMR spiel is a smokescreen to a far greater problem, the “grid’ has run out of headroom and despite being warned 40 odd years ago that the south of England would hit a brick wall over power and water, they’ve dreamed up this submarine nonsense, which in turn connects to willy-waving Trident with a giant fleg on top….
Bluntly, there is no way in hell a nuclear power plant a la submarine could be deployed on dry land, it would be lethal – As for the Prime Arse selling it as an Aggreko rolling off the back of a truck on a slab in the burbs and instantly being switched on, Boris was never one for ‘accuracy’, any more that able seaman Bowie is today…
ENGLAND desperately needed nuclear power 40 odd years ago, but just as with Covid preparedness the ‘what are the chances’ game by guvment took precedence even if it would have killed a lot more than are no longer with us.
The fastest nuclear builds to date are by the Koreans, 5 years from start to being on-line – When England suffers from rolling blackouts this summer, count to 5 before hearing it blamed on SG’s opposition to nuclear…
Scotland is awash with energy with nowhere for it to go….
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Hi John,
SMRs is bound to become an issue in 2026 election.
While Scotland’s abundance of renewable energy is more than capable of dealing with the extra demand for electricity the boom in AI Data Centres will bring, should the pro-Indy parties fall short of a majority in 2026 I have no doubt those dodgy SMRs are heading here.
This is a Holyrood Magazine article about AI Data Centres.
It is dated 23rd April 2025
https://www.holyrood.com/news/view,the-power-houses-scotland-is-poised-to-slash-the-environmental-cost-of-the-ai-boom
“..a Freedom of Information request showed that, as of February 2025, Scottish Enterprise was dealing with 26 “live” enquiries on the establishment of new data centres in Scotland.”
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The propaganda game has already begun to establish data-centres nearest London (reduced latency in data transfer, two separate power supply lines etc..), so yes, the SMR fairy will have been dusted down for a fresh outing in 26, as will the ‘dead-calm across the British Isles’ fairy…..
Energy, or more accurately the cost of it, has become a hot topic, with businesses increasingly shutting up shop over it – IIRC businesses were ca 77% of power demand, so where is much vaunted “growth” supposed to come from now ?
What is less well recognised is how political chicanery in London interfered by delaying interconnects and upgrading bottlenecks in the network, resisting calls for a nationwide energy conservation programme for housing, and the latter still rankles – My winter heating consumption now is 70% of what it was new 12 years ago; Were every room in the place occupied, 75% is entirely possible, but 70% saving and a 450 quid a year gas bill does me fine, all for 800 quid in insulation.
London’s political myopia and greed is what needs highlighted, the Great British Disease….
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datacentres that will suck all the energy and water and money leaving Scotland a desert.
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One thing is for sure, that by allowing these things be built in Scotland, we would then become a prime storage location for all of England’s nuclear filth as well.
We don’t need nuclear stations in Scotland, but the the country to our south does. Build them there.
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The old expression “Coals to Newcastle” comes to mind.
Scotland has no need for nuclear power stations,or at least if energy policy was decided in Scotland and not England that would be the case.Most,if not all,of the power generated by these facilities would be sent to England where the demand is.The market for this energy is in England so why deliberately site the production facility in another country if you have the option not to?
There must be a hidden agenda at play,as always with perfidious Albion.
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Said it before, we already have plenty of wind turbines turned off or running low output because the grid can’t handle it, all a SMR would do is turn another six (I think) off – England desperately needs nuclear but nobody wants it – The grid needs new runs in England but the same ‘blight on the landscape/not on my land’ lot who screwed up onshore wind are up in arms about it.
They need somebody else to blame other than Westminster….
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I wrote about the fallacy of SMRs (Small Modular Reactors) back in February: https://dearscotland.substack.com/p/nuclear-power-in-scotland-not-economic?utm_source=publication-search
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Yep, and where does the fuel for “our future energy security” with these miracle SMRs come from Leah ? – Russia.
One quibble on your “…renewables generated the equivalent of 113% of Scotland’s total electricity consumption…”
Background – New house in Eastern Europe in 2013, running GFCH with Siberian winters – Whilst I’ve been here since 2015 it’s gone from -20 to -16, and last winter’s dip was -10 – Short duration events but worryingly indicative of a trend as Mediterranean weather weather moves north – My financial point is that with 800 quid of additional insulation to a new house, I ended up consuming 70% less gas – It could equally as well be 70% less electricity.
There’s your solution for Scotland without a preening State of a Secretary for Scotland having to finish his Greggs steak bake, or Able Semen Bowie, or Anas wi’ teeth, or one of James Cook’s minions to talk total shite, etc..
SMRs are a wet dream to politicians, excusing decades of putting their own ‘careers’ first and to hell with the populace – Scots deserve better.
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Scotland in surplus in fuel and energy. The best place for it. Scotland does not need nuclear.
Westminster pays £13Billion a year decommissioning nuclear. Hickley Point years late and over budget a total waste of monies.
Trident dumped in Scotland without authority. McMillian and Kennedy dumped Polaris without permission. £Billions have been wasted
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No need to worry, everytime BBC Scotland warns of drought, within hours of their announcement the heavens open and the rain lashes for weeks and months. What ever they wish for turns into a curse.
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I was responding to Anonymous claiming Scotland would become a desert.
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