By Jeremy Lovell

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will step up its campaign for new nuclear power stations on Thursday, saying they are vital for energy security, climate change and job creation.

Industry minister John Hutton will tell the newly-created Nuclear Development Forum's first meeting that new nuclear power plants are also crucial in preventing power cuts as ageing coal and nuclear plants are progressively shut down.

"I'm determined to press all the buttons to get nuclear built in this country at the earliest opportunity - not only because it's a no-brainer for our energy security, but also because it's good for jobs and our economy," he will say.

"Insecure international sources of energy underline the case for a diverse mix. We are determined to get new nuclear up and running as soon as possible - securing clean low carbon energy and helping to keep the UK's lights on."

The Forum brings together top figures from across the nuclear industry to support and advise the new Office for Nuclear Development in creating the conditions for new nuclear power stations to be built in Britain.

Advocates of nuclear power say it emits no climate changing carbon and reduces reliance on imports of gas from Russia which has proved an unreliable supplier in the past and whose war with Georgia dramatically stretched diplomatic ties with the West.

Opponents reject atomic power as unnecessary and a security risk whose waste remains deadly for thousands of years.

Britain's nuclear power plants provide 19 percent of the country's electricity. However, all but one are due to be closed within 15 years.