United Kingdom 73
In the light of sustainable development considerations, the ‘no new nuclear’
pathway is also clearly salient to any debate about current and future electricity
production, and a future without further nuclear capacity is clearly a real possibility. Given radical decarbonisation objectives, such a pathway implies a major
expansion in renewable capacity and over the past decade renewables have
gained credibility, growing quickly and with ever- reducing costs. High nuclear
costs may persuade the financial community that the technology does not
deserve support and that there are alternatives in achieving decarbonisation in
the absence of further nuclear power. Strong public support for solar PV and offshore wind marks the ‘no new nuclear’ pathway as highly legitimate, although
there is some evidence of public disquiet about onshore wind.
The ‘new nuclear’ pathway
A ‘new nuclear’ pathway could be credible given the following circumstance.
Politically, a nuclear expansion of 40 GW would require a strong and largely bipartisan continuation of the support given to large- scale and centralised technology options in the 2015 policy re- set and the 2017 Clean Growth Strategy,
including nuclear power, as part of a continuing commitment to stringent emission reductions by mid- century. This ongoing commitment to nuclear expansion will be strengthened by the view that new nuclear power is vital to energy
security, as well as a major contributor to decarbonisation. Geopolitical worries
about the UK’s need to import higher volumes of gas and oil will support this
security argument over the next few years.
The ‘new nuclear’ pathway foresees a slowdown (and a possible halt) in the
reduction of renewable energy costs. At the same time, another barrier to
renewables expansion is the difficulty of providing system backup for the intermittent renewable sources that dominate in the UK. The bulk, seasonal electricity storage that this requires continues to be expensive and impractical. Thus
for radical decarbonisation, nuclear expansion would be the only proven option.
Public opposition to technologies like onshore (and increasingly offshore) wind
increases and limits further renewable energy growth. In addition, difficulties
remain in implementing major demand- reduction schemes that would avoid
some new capacity needs. As expansion in nuclear capacity gains momentum,
the possibilities for renewables expansion is in any case constrained. Nuclear
power performs well worldwide, both economically and in terms of safety.
The nuclear industry overcomes some of the technological and cost problems
currently besetting the European pressurised water reactor (EPR). Future reactor
design becomes standardised on the best- performing current technologies,
whether of the so- called Generation III+ or the not- yet-commercialised Generation IV, allowing a reduction in costs and subsidies. Global political instability
encourages intensive nuclear technology development, both internationally and
in the UK, as an apparently secure option, and SMRs could emerge (Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), 2017a; Locatelli et al.,
2017) as a more flexible option for part of the 40 GW capacity, though the
In the light of sustainable development considerations, the ‘no new nuclear’
pathway is also clearly salient to any debate about current and future electricity
production, and a future without further nuclear capacity is clearly a real possibility. Given radical decarbonisation objectives, such a pathway implies a major
expansion in renewable capacity and over the past decade renewables have
gained credibility, growing quickly and with ever- reducing costs. High nuclear
costs may persuade the financial community that the technology does not
deserve support and that there are alternatives in achieving decarbonisation in
the absence of further nuclear power. Strong public support for solar PV and offshore wind marks the ‘no new nuclear’ pathway as highly legitimate, although
there is some evidence of public disquiet about onshore wind.
The ‘new nuclear’ pathway
A ‘new nuclear’ pathway could be credible given the following circumstance.
Politically, a nuclear expansion of 40 GW would require a strong and largely bipartisan continuation of the support given to large- scale and centralised technology options in the 2015 policy re- set and the 2017 Clean Growth Strategy,
including nuclear power, as part of a continuing commitment to stringent emission reductions by mid- century. This ongoing commitment to nuclear expansion will be strengthened by the view that new nuclear power is vital to energy
security, as well as a major contributor to decarbonisation. Geopolitical worries
about the UK’s need to import higher volumes of gas and oil will support this
security argument over the next few years.
The ‘new nuclear’ pathway foresees a slowdown (and a possible halt) in the
reduction of renewable energy costs. At the same time, another barrier to
renewables expansion is the difficulty of providing system backup for the intermittent renewable sources that dominate in the UK. The bulk, seasonal electricity storage that this requires continues to be expensive and impractical. Thus
for radical decarbonisation, nuclear expansion would be the only proven option.
Public opposition to technologies like onshore (and increasingly offshore) wind
increases and limits further renewable energy growth. In addition, difficulties
remain in implementing major demand- reduction schemes that would avoid
some new capacity needs. As expansion in nuclear capacity gains momentum,
the possibilities for renewables expansion is in any case constrained. Nuclear
power performs well worldwide, both economically and in terms of safety.
The nuclear industry overcomes some of the technological and cost problems
currently besetting the European pressurised water reactor (EPR). Future reactor
design becomes standardised on the best- performing current technologies,
whether of the so- called Generation III+ or the not- yet-commercialised Generation IV, allowing a reduction in costs and subsidies. Global political instability
encourages intensive nuclear technology development, both internationally and
in the UK, as an apparently secure option, and SMRs could emerge (Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), 2017a; Locatelli et al.,
2017) as a more flexible option for part of the 40 GW capacity, though the