UK government is set to embark on the most significant expansion of its nuclear power sector in seven decades, aiming to quadruple supplies by 2050. This move is expected to reduce energy costs and improve energy security. The £300 million nuclear fuel programme aims to reduce reliance on overseas supply. Despite these plans, critics, including the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA), stress the urgency of fast-tracking all clean energy initiatives.
Currently providing 15% of the UK's electricity, aging reactors face decommissioning in the next decade. The government's Civil Nuclear Roadmap is intended to boost the UK's energy independence by exploring a new site for another nuclear power station similar to the £30bn plants under construction at Hinkley Point in Somerset and Sizewell in Suffolk. Industry sources have told the BBC the leading candidates would include Wylfa on Anglesey or Moorside in Cumbria, but progress could be slow - to get from planning to ‘power on’ could take up to 20 years. Consultations for Sizewell took 10 years alone and building work there is yet to start, because of ongoing protests.
The government aims to address delays by streamlining the development of new power stations through smarter regulation. Critics, such as Jack Abbott, a clean energy expert and Labour candidate near Sizewell, accuse the government of procrastination, emphasising the need for an expanded nuclear power fleet in the UK.
"Fourteen years and not one new site opened, despite inheriting 10 approved sites from the last Labour government. Labour supports expanding the UK's nuclear power fleet, which must form a critical part of our future energy mix," Mr Abbott said.
While the REA remains skeptical about the government's commitment to a new private-led nuclear plant, it acknowledges the positive step of investing £300 million in domestic reactor fuel production, currently only commercially produced in Russia.
Policy director Frank Gordon added: "We need to accelerate the deployment of all clean energy sources, especially renewable power from diverse sources, plus supporting the roll-out of the much-needed clean technologies, energy storage working at all scales and duration."
The government contends that the expansion plans will not only create jobs but also reduce reliance on foreign energy, thus diminishing global market influence. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak views nuclear power as the "perfect antidote" to Britain's energy challenges. Two consultations will focus on a new approach to siting future nuclear power stations and encouraging private investment, respectively.
Reference: www.bbc.co.uk “UK government plans further nuclear power expansion.” By Jemma Dempsey, BBC News.
