Environmental campaigners have called for a rethink of plans for new nuclear power stations in the light of the crisis at reactors in Japan.
In the wake of explosions at the Fukushima power plant following the earthquake and tsunami which hit Japan on Friday, Liberal Democrat energy secretary Chris Huhne said the UK would be looking at the lessons that could be learned.
He said that while there was no reason to expect similar seismic activity in Britain, officials were taking the situation extremely seriously.
"I have called on the chief nuclear inspector, Dr Mike Weightman, for a thorough report on the implications of the situation in Japan and the lessons to be learned.
"It is essential that we understand the full facts and their implications, both for existing nuclear reactors and any new programme, as safety is always our number one concern," Huhne said.
While the Lib Dems opposed a new generation of nuclear power plants in the UK while in opposition, the coalition Government believes they will form a key part of the country’s energy mix in the future.
Last year the Government gave the green light to eight sites for new nuclear power plants, with Mr Huhne claiming he was "fed up" with the stand-off between nuclear power and renewable energy to cut emissions in the future and provide secure energy supplies.
Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth called on Huhne to focus on developing renewable power. Greenpeace executive director John Sauven said: "The immediate priority must be supporting the humanitarian response to the appalling catastrophe in Japan and it is right that the UK government has responded quickly to requests for help with practical support.
“It is also right that the government begins to consider what this means for the UK's own energy plans.
“In opposition Chris Huhne stated clearly that the success of Britain's wind power industry made proposed new nuclear plants redundant.
“He recently shifted position in government, but we hope he'll now put all his effort into ensuring Britain maintains its internationally competitive lead in safe offshore wind, wave and tidal power.
“Investment in renewable technologies can create tens of thousands of jobs and kick-start the sustainable economic recovery that is so badly needed.”
Friends of the Earth executive director Andy Atkins said: "The Japanese earthquake and its horrific aftermath has shocked the world, and our thoughts are with everyone caught up in this terrible crisis.
“The explosions at the Japanese power plant must lead to an urgent rethink of plans to build even more reactors around the world.
“We can't keep heading down the nuclear route until the lessons from this crisis have been learned.
“The reality is that the UK doesn't need nuclear power – developing the UK's huge green energy potential and slashing energy waste can provide the cleaner, safer future we need."
Professor Mike Fitzpatrick, from the Open University, said the new reactors proposed for the UK were of a more advanced design than those in Japan.
In the Fukushima plant the failure of the cooling pumps, which cool the steam generated by the reactor to drive the turbines, led to increases in temperatures and pressure inside the reactors.
The steam, which produces hydrogen at high temperatures, was vented from one of the reactors in a bid to ease the pressure, causing an explosion which damaged the outer shell of the building.
A second explosion has occurred at another of the units at the power plant, while fuel rods at one of the units were temporarily "fully exposed" from their coolant, raising the risk of overheating and a meltdown.
Fitzpatrick said: "The reactors that are being proposed for construction in the UK are much more advanced in terms of design and safety systems, and can cool passively following a shutdown which makes them inherently safer."
In light of the events in Japan, the launch of a report led by former Government chief scientist Professor Sir David King into the need to develop a new nuclear plan for the UK, including using spent fuel to generate more power, was postponed.
One of the reactors at Fukushima uses reprocessed fuel, something the Government here is considering, to deal with used plutonium stocks currently stored at Sellafield and Dounreay.
But Greenpeace has warned that using plutonium as fuel could create even more dangerous radioactive waste than normal.