The UK Government on Thursday, announced plans for what it said was the country’s “biggest expansion of nuclear power for 70 years”.
This, the UK government said is 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 ($382 million) of investment to produce an advanced uranium fuel and “smarter regulation”.
Taken together, the measures would quadruple UK nuclear power by 2050 to 24 gigawatts, enough to provide a quarter of the UK’s electricity needs.
“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.
“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,” said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The government said it is committed to the 2050 net zero targets but has come under fire after announcing last summer it will issue “hundreds” of new oil and gas licences 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.
Energy minister Claire Coutinho said the plans would mean the UK would “never again be held to ransom over energy by tyrants like Vladimir Putin”.
The 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”.
