The U.K. is once again backing nuclear power, with plans to develop new large-scale nuclear plants as well as alternative small modular reactors (SMRs) in the coming decades. This is part of a Labour government plan to accelerate the country’s green transition by expanding its clean energy capacity and shifting away from a reliance on fossil fuels.
For decades, the U.K. stopped developing its nuclear energy capacity, due to poor public perception of the energy source, the high costs involved with developing new projects, and a focus on other energy sources, predominantly fossil fuels. The U.K.’s five existing nuclear power reactors contributed 14 percent of the country’s electricity in 2024, marking a decrease from the peak production of the 1990s, when 18 nuclear reactors provided over a quarter of the country’s power. Four of the operational plants are due to close before 2030, even with plans to expand their lifetimes. However, in recent months, there has been talk of a nuclear renaissance in the U.K.
Britain’s energy secretary, Ed Miliband, who has long backed nuclear power, announced plans this month for a $19 billion investment to develop a conventional new nuclear power station, and further funding to support the small modular reactor industry and advance nuclear energy research. The nuclear programme will “get Britain off the fossil fuel rollercoaster”, according to Miliband. The energy secretary said that supporting nuclear power was the only way to achieve the government’s net-zero emissions pledges by mid-century, especially with the U.K. energy demand set to rise. He also stressed the government’s unwavering support for renewable energy.
“I’m doing this because of my belief that climate change is the biggest long-term threat facing us… The truth is that we have this massive challenge to get off fossil fuels. That is the central driving ambition of the government’s clean energy superpower mission. We know that we’re going to have to see electricity demand at least double, by 2050,” said Miliband. “All of the expert advice says nuclear has a really important role to play in the energy system. In any sensible reckoning, this is essential to get to our clean power and net zero ambitions.”
The government will spend billions on the completion of the Sizewell C nuclear plant on England’s south Suffolk coast. The development is expected to support the creation of 10,000 jobs and, once operational, the plant will power up to 6 million homes. The long-awaited investment decision quashes the uncertainty surrounding Sizewell C, where the French operator EDF has been looking to secure funding for 15 years. The government hopes the funding will allow Sizewell C to be developed under a different model to Hinkley Point C, to avoid unnecessary delays and spiralling costs.
The government has also earmarked almost $3.4 billion in funding for the development of the U.K.’s first SMRs, with Great British Energy (GBN) – Nuclear choosing Rolls-Royce as the preferred company to construct one of Europe’s first SMR programmes. Rolls-Royce beat the U.S. companies Holtec and GE Hitachi to win the bid. The U.K. firm has been in wait-and-see mode, as GBN delayed its nuclear competition again and again in recent years, which Rolls-Royce said held them back when it came to SMR development.
Rolls-Royce hopes that the programme will attract higher levels of private investment once established. There are no SMR sites currently operational anywhere in the world, although several countries are investing in developing the technology. It is not clear where Rolls-Royce will develop its first SMRs, although some believe they will be on the site of retired nuclear power stations, such as Oldbury in Gloucestershire and Wylfa in north Wales.
Another $3.4 billion over five years will go to research and development into nuclear fusion energy. The fusion investment in Nottinghamshire will support development on the site of the old West Burton coal-fired power station. The government hopes the investment will support its Just Transition aims by creating new jobs in traditional energy-producing regions.
Critics of nuclear energy say the funds could be better used to expand the U.K.’s renewable energy capacity, which is far cheaper and faster to develop than nuclear power plants. However, the government and those in the nuclear sector point out that nuclear power plants deliver stable power 24 hours a day, compared to solar and wind farms, which require battery storage to achieve this. In addition, the reactors being developed “will produce low-carbon electricity for 80 or possibly 100 years, 24/7, providing around a 10th of the current UK electricity needs”, according to Mark Wenman at Imperial College London.
The U.K. government is supporting a nuclear renaissance, after years of stagnation, which it hopes will help Britain to achieve its net-zero pledges by 2050. In addition to expanding the country’s renewable energy capacity, the government will invest billions in the development of new conventional nuclear reactors and SMR technology to accelerate the U.K.’s green transition.
By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com
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