The government has set out ways to increase nuclear power generation by up to four times to 24GW by 2050, enough to meet a quarter of the UK's new electricity needs. Roadmap.
As part of this, new power stations of the same size as Sizewell in Suffolk and Hinkley in Somerset, each capable of powering 6 million homes, will be built.
The government is improving the process of developing new power plants through 'smarter regulation', allowing regulators to assess projects while designs are finalized, and working with overseas regulators to assess the same technology. I'm thinking of speeding it up.
It will host a „hackathon“ event with nuclear industry experts to develop ideas on how government and industry can accelerate new nuclear projects while maintaining safety and security.
Identifying potential sites for new factories will be left to developers, rather than focusing on government-designated locations. The government maintained robust criteria such as neighborhood population density, and maintained that community involvement remains important in all decisions.
kick out Putin
The government will also invest up to £300m in producing in the UK the fuel needed to power a high-tech new nuclear reactor known as HALEU. This form of uranium fuel is currently commercially produced only in Russia. The government claims this will help keep Russian President Vladimir Putin out of global markets.
The government is also continuing its plans for small modular reactor (SMR) technology through a competition that will begin soon. Unlike traditional reactors, which are built on site, SMRs are smaller and can be manufactured in factories, which the government believes will make them faster and cheaper to build.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said nuclear power was the „perfect antidote“ to Britain's energy problems, saying it was environmentally friendly and provided long-term cheap energy and energy security. It would also put the UK on track to reach net zero by 2050 „in a planned and sustainable way“, he said.
Claire Coutinho, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, said: „Strengthening our energy security means that Britain will never again be held to ransom over our energy by tyrants like Vladimir Putin. It means that.”
Tom Greatorex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: „Energy security and a net-zero future will require both large and small nuclear power at scale and at pace. ” he said.
“It’s vague and has aspirations.”
Jess Ralston, an analyst at the Energy and Climate Information Unit (ECIU), said experts generally agree that some new nuclear power will be needed in the coming years. “The challenge is that this will do little to strengthen the UK’s energy security in the immediate future, as the industry has a track record of being over budget and behind schedule,” she said.
Increasing offshore wind power and home insulation would help the UK resolve its relationship with volatile gas prices, but the government failed in the last offshore wind auction and has increased insulation in the past few years. They have reduced the number of supported homes, he added.
Britain's Greenpeace condemned the nuclear announcement as „vague and ambitious“.
Dr Doug Parr, Chief Scientist at Greenpeace UK, said: 'Every few months, the government makes plans for the future in the hope that big investors will believe the hype and start funding this 20th century technology. „We're making a big deal about nuclear power, but that's not really the case.“ I'm not working. The energy industry knows that the economics of slow and expensive nuclear power just don't add up and that the future is renewable. ”
He added that the move would create uncertainty in the communities being considered as potential sites for new factories and cause further disruption and delays around the investments needed for renewable energy, energy efficiency and grid upgrades. Ta.
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Katherine Early is a freelance environmental journalist and chief reporter for The Ecologist. She tweets at @Cat_Early76.