UK green light for nuclear power

London - The UK Government has decided to back nuclear power - its Nuclear White Paper and Energy Bill inviting energy companies to develop, build and operate new nuclear power stations as part of the UK's strategy for a diverse, low carbon energy mix. The Energy Bill also calls for greater deployment of renewables and investment in carbon capture and storage (CCS) and offshore gas infrastructure.

"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. Set against the challenges of climate change and security of supply, the evidence in support of new nuclear power stations is compelling," said John Hutton, UK energy secretary.

The new nuclear facilities wil be part of a new energy infrastructure for the UK, which is facing increasing reliance on imported energy as a third of generating capacity is coming offline in the next 20 years, according to the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR - formerly the DTI), in a 10 Jan statement.

Nuclear power is one of the cheapest low-carbon electricity generation technologies, and a proven technology, currently supplying a fifth of the UK's electricity supplies, said BERR. The technology, it added, is safe and capable of increasing the diversity of our energy supplies and reducing our dependence on any one technology or country for our fuel supplies.

The Energy Bill also includes measures to ensure adequate funding provision is made by potential developers of new nuclear power stations, to drive greater and more rapid deployment of renewables, creates the framework for investment in carbon capture and storage, which has the potential to reduce the carbon emissions from fossil fuel power stations by up to 90%, and enables investment in new offshore gas

With regard to CCS technology, the Government is creating a regulatory framework to enable private sector investment in CCS projects while also protecting the environment - for example by putting in place a licensing regime for storing carbon dioxide offshore. CCS, it noted, has the potential to reduce the carbon emissions from fossil fuel power stations by up to 90%.

Meanwhile, the UK' current offshore regime for gas infrastructure projects is complex and a barrier to investment, said BERR. The Energy Bill aims to strengthen and simplify the regulatory framework to give investors more clarity and certainty, reducing costs and risks for private sector investment in offshore gas supply projects such as offshore storage and LNG infrastructure.

The Chemical Industries Asociation welcomed the Government’s decision to allow investment in new nuclear power. Nick Sturgeon, its head of Climate Change and Energy commenting: “Not renewing our nuclear capacity would leave us open to the dangers of being overly reliant on imported gas to generate baseload electricity requirements. This winter uncertainty about imported sources has lead to high and volatile gas prices, we must avoid increasing our exposure to such risks.”

Sturgeon added: "Energy prices at vastly higher rates than other countries and a lack of confidence that the market can meet demand seriously impacts on the chemical industry’s competitiveness, sustainability and investment prospects ... It is therefore important that the Government follows-through on today’s decision by implementing measures put forward in the Planning Bill to ensure there are no further delays to the regulatory clearance of new nuclear power stations."
Meanwhile, 12 of the UK’s leading science and engineering bodies - including the IChemE  and IMechE - issued a joint statement, backing Government plans: "We, the undersigned, representing the UK expertise in all forms of energy and related engineering, urge the Government to give the go-ahead to allow new nuclear build as part of the balanced energy mix needed to tackle climate change and provide secure long term energy supplies."

Andrew Furlong, IChemE director of policy and communication, commented: “25 years ago you would have found me vigorously protesting against Sizewell B - but times have changed. Any sound scientific assessment of the energy and climate change challenges facing humanity reveals that it is nigh on impossible to maintain existing living standards and keep carbon emissions within tolerable limit without retaining a nuclear power generation component.

By contrast, Friends of the Earth warned: "building a new generation of nuclear power stations is not the answer to the UK's energy problems and will do little to help tackle climate change,  today. The Government's focus on nuclear power is a distraction from developing real and sustainable solutions, such as a major programme of renewables and energy efficiency, and more efficient use of fossil fuels, including combined heat and Power (CHP)."