The UK could have a new generation of nuclear reactors on-line by 2020 under new plans unveiled by the government.
Secretary of State for Business John Hutton said that the country must be clear on the future role of nuclear energy in order to meet the twin challenges of climate change and energy security, and invited energy companies to bring forward plans to build new nuclear power stations.
Hutton unveiled a new Energy Bill that includes proposals to improve the planning process and a timetable for the construction of new nuclear plants.
The government is expecting all the costs of construction, waste management and decommissioning of the new fleet of plants to be borne by the private sector. There will be no artificial cap set on new nuclear capacity, said Hutton.
The announcement is the culmination of a consultation process that began after the publication of the Energy White Paper in 2007. It has dismayed the anti-nuclear lobby, which believes that investment in new nuclear capacity will divert investment away from renewable energy and other low-carbon alternatives.
“Giving the go ahead today that new nuclear power should play a role in providing the UK with clean, secure and affordable energy is in our country’s vital long term interest,” said Hutton.
The UK currently has 19 operating reactors at ten power stations, which provide approximately 20 per cent of electricity in the UK. These are all due to be closed between 2008 and 2035 and the government is keen for operators to invest in a new generation of reactors to plug the gap.
In addition, the UK is changing from being a net energy exporter into a net importer and must manage the risks of sourcing reliable supplies of energy, said Hutton.
“With a third of our generating capacity coming offline within the next twenty years and increasing reliance on imported energy it is clear we need investment in a range of new energy infrastructure,” he said.
The plans have been fiercely criticised by environmental groups such as Greenpeace, which has called for investment in energy efficiency, clean fossil fuel technologies and renewables as an alternative to nuclear.
“Nuclear power can only deliver a four per cent cut in carbon emissions some time after 2025,” said Greenpeace executive director John Sauven. “That’s too little, and too late, while generations to come will be left with an expensive legacy of our nuclear waste to clean up.”
The UK government’s Energy White Paper of 2007 set out its international and domestic energy strategy, which is built around addressing long-term challenges such as climate change, competition and energy security.
Nuclear generation currently reduces national carbon emissions by between seven and 14 per cent.
The government began a consultation on the future of nuclear power in the UK in 2007, seeking views on whether energy companies should be allowed to invest in nuclear power. In parallel with this, it invited companies to start the initial phase of the reactor design approval process.
Some of the concerns highlighted by the consultation process include safety and security, waste management and cost, said Hutton. However, the government believes that the nuclear option is dependable, safe and affordable.
In 2007 four companies submitted reactor designs for approval: AECL, Areva, GE-Hitachi and Toshiba-Westinghouse. The licensing process will now enter a second phase, where the number of designs is likely to be reduced to three due to resource constraints of the regulators.
The UK government is also pursuing a number of other policies aimed at bringing about a low-carbon economy, including rapid expansion of offshore wind energy, the development of a commercial-scale carbon capture and sequestration demonstration project by 2014, and investment in energy efficiency.