Britain: a nuclear renaissance?

If you remember, last week I focused on how France has used nuclear energy as a key tool to increase it's energy independence and boost electricity generation. The same story is starting to emerge in Britain in my opinion. Successive British governments have not really been too keen on nuclear energy, with one government White Paper in 2003 titled 'Creating a Low Carbon Economy' stating that 'current economics make nuclear energy an unattractive option'. Given the fluctuating nature of politics, however, government intentions have since changed. Speaking at the World Nuclear Association Symposium in London during 2013, the former Minister of State of Energy (now Secretary of State for Defence), Michael Fallon gave a long speech outlining the Coalition governments energy agenda. Amid all of the political posturing in the speech, three quotes really caught my attention:

'Investing in energy infrastructure is a key part of this Government's growth agenda'

'UK's nuclear market is an attractive one to be part of and we will continue to make the conditions right for investment'

'The skills gaps highlighted can be used as a basis for targeted policy and industry interventions to ensure maximum job opportunities are created locally'

I would like to use these three quotes to analyse whether Britain has made a turn towards nuclear energy, or whether these words are just plain political talk and nothing else.

'Investing in energy infrastructure is a key part of this Government's growth agenda'

The government has sent positive signals in regards to investment in energy infrastructure. As part of the Autumn Statement in 2016, Phillip Hammond (Chancellor of the Exchequer) announced a £23 billion funding in order to boost energy infrastructure, including funding for nuclear power plants. Such investment is not just restricted for building energy infrastructure, but also for maintenance and innovation. UK and China have also promised to co-fund a £50 million nuclear research centre called Joint Research and Innovation Centre (JRIC) in Cumbria which will help to develop new nuclear reactors and aid research in power generation systems.

'UK's nuclear market is an attractive one to be a part of and we will continue to make the conditions right for investment'

Signs since 2009 suggest that the UK government is trying it's best to be seen as an attractive location for nuclear investment. As Lee (2009) explains, the government has established the Office for Nuclear Development which brought forward stakeholders such as engineers and scientists together in order to facilitate a nuclear plant building programme. This has since borne fruit, as the government confirmed the building of the Hinkley Point C power plant project in Somerset through agreements with EDF and the Chinese government on 15th September 2016. This £18 billion project through international cooperation is certainly a signal for other foreign investors that the British government is open to investment in it's nuclear sector as subsidies are being provided for nuclear plants which should encourage other countries/organisations.

Plans for the Hinkley Point C plant 

'The skills gaps highlighted can be used as a basis for targeted policy and industry interventions to ensure maximum job opportunities are created locally'

Payne and Keep (2011) have argued that British policy has often focused too much on boosting the supply of workers rather than working on skills and what employees want. For some time that indeed has been the case, however that has now started to change. The governments Skills Funding Agency has collaborated with nuclear energy providers such as EDF to offer training in radiation monitors and nuclear power plant management which has helped many people, particularly young people in their search for well-paid work and training (have a look at my earlier post about nuclear power providing jobs for more information).

Future direction

By reviewing these three quotes from Michael Fallon in 2013, it is clear that the UK is experiencing a nuclear renaissance. The government now seems to be focused on investing in energy infrastructure, whilst at the same time trying to build skills to ensure the long term sustainability of the nuclear industry. The real question is how these plans pan out alongside the uncertainty resulting in the form of the Brexit vote. Another interesting observation by Harris et al. (2013) is that the cost of building a nuclear power project can increase during construction and sometimes the construction time can lengthen. This could have implications for current and future projects so the government must make sure that it considers these factors.