Government sets out plans for 'biggest expansion of nuclear power for 70 years'
11 January 2024, 08:07
The government has published fresh plans as it aims to boost the nation’s nuclear power capacity with the biggest expansion in 70 years.
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It wants to approve one or two new reactors every five years, with backing for another large-scale power station.
Nuclear output has been falling in recent years and the government wants to increase domestic supply and reduce reliance on power from overseas.
The new Civil Nuclear Roadmap describes how the UK could meet its existing target to generate up to 24GW of nuclear power by 2050.
It would be four times the current capacity and would provide a quarter of the UK’s electricity needs.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called nuclear power the "perfect antidote to the energy challenges facing Britain".
Nuclear power "will ensure our future energy security and create the jobs and skills we need to level up the country and grow our economy", he said.
The UK currently has one nuclear power plant under construction, Hinkley Point C, now due to cost £32.7 billion rather than the initially approved £18bn.
Another plant is in the pipeline, Sizewell C in Suffolk, which is expected to begin operating in 2034, ten years later than planned.
Energy secretary Clare Coutinho has told LBC News an expansion will bring energy bills down.
Nuclear “lowers the cost of systems overall,” she said.
“Nuclear is a really important part of the power mix”
