CORRECTED-Go-ahead given for new nuclear power stations

(Corrects first paragraph)

By Pete Harrison

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain gave the go-ahead to a new generation of nuclear power stations on Thursday, setting no limits on nuclear expansion and adding momentum to atomic energy's worldwide renaissance.

The government argues that Britain must build nuclear plants to help meet its climate change goals and to avoid overdependence on imported energy amid dwindling North Sea oil supplies.

"New nuclear power stations should have a role to play in this country's future energy mix alongside other low-carbon sources," Energy Secretary John Hutton told parliament.

"I do not intend to set some sort of artificial cap on the proportion of electricity the UK should be able to generate either from nuclear power or from any other source of low carbon energy," he added.

The government called nuclear energy an unattractive option in 2003, but since then surging prices for oil and gas have helped to make it more competitive and the focus on cutting carbon emissions to fight climate change has intensified.

Already, countries such as France and Finland are building new nuclear plants and, in the United States, companies have begun filing licence applications, reinforcing the view atomic energy is part of the solution to the world's energy problems.

Nuclear operators say they could have new plants running by 2017, which would help the government meet its 2020 goals for cutting carbon emissions to fight climate change.