Nuclear 'is energy future'

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In an interview with the Financial Times, he said that he had been "very encouraged" by the response from investors to the Government's plans to build a new generation of nuclear power stations.

He said that as the new stations came on stream, he expected that they would supply "significantly" more than the 19% of Britain's energy which comes from nuclear sources.

"We need the maximum contribution from nuclear sources in the next 10 to 15 years," he said. "I'd be very disappointed if it's not significantly above the current level."

Mr Hutton said the Government was now keen to fast-track the replacement of the UK's 10 current nuclear power stations, all but one of which is due to close by 2023.

The first of the new plants could be operational in 2017, he said, a year ahead of the target set in the Government's energy white paper published in January.

"If we can accelerate the timescale we should. We've got to be completely serious about this. We should keep the foot down on the pedal," he said.

"I've been very encouraged by the reaction (from investors). It's completely confounded all those people who said it's not going to happen.

"It's going to happen and in a shorter timescale than our critics predicted."