AFP, LONDON
The British government yesterday announced plans for what it said was the UK’s “biggest expansion of nuclear power for 70 years” to bolster its energy independence and meet carbon emission targets.
The Civil Nuclear Roadmap includes exploring the construction of a major new power station, ￡300 million (US$382 million) of investment to produce an advanced uranium fuel and “smarter regulation.” Taken together, the measures would quadruple the UK’s nuclear power by 2050 to 24 gigawatts, enough to provide one quarter of the kingdom’s electricity needs.
Photo: Reuters
“Nuclear is the perfect antidote to the energy challenges facing Britain — it’s green, cheaper in the long term and will ensure the UK’s energy security,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said.
“This is the right long-term decision and is the next step in our commitment to nuclear power, which puts us on course to achieve net zero by 2050 in a measured and sustainable way,” he added.
The government said it is committed to the 2050 net zero target, but has come under fire after announcing last summer it would issue “hundreds” of new oil and gas licenses in the North Sea.
It is also grappling with a cost-of-living crisis partly caused by the spike in oil and gas prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
British Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Claire Coutinho said the plans mean the UK would “never again be held to ransom over energy by tyrants like [Russian President] Vladimir Putin.”
The British government said the proposals represented “the biggest expansion of nuclear power for 70 years”, adding it would “reduce electricity bills, support thousands of jobs and improve UK energy security.”
The most eye-catching proposal is the possible construction of another power station as big as Sizewell nuclear power station in east England, construction on which is due to begin this year, and Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in west England, which is under construction.
Both power stations are to be capable of powering 6 million homes each. The UK currently has nine operational nuclear reactors on five sites, but many are nearing the end of their operating lives. Six reactors on three sites have been shut down since 2021 and are to be dismantled.
However, operator EDF Energy in March last year announced that it was extending the life of two British power plants — Heysham 1 and Hartlepool. The UK intends to build up to eight new reactors by 2050.
The government said on Sunday it is to invest up to ￡300 million into producing the fuel required for new high-tech reactors, and which currently is only commercially produced in Russia.
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