nuclear-news

Where next for the UK nuclear industry?  Duncan Jefferies theguardian.com, 3 March 14. Nuclear power is the most controversial source of energy, but government claims an expansion of the sector is essential Few subjects are as polarising as nuclear power. Supporters claim a new generation of nuclear plants is the most effective means of helping to reduce the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, while filling the ‘energy gap’ that will result from the decommissioning of old fossil fuel and nuclear power facilities in the 2020s.

But opponents believe it is an expensive folly, replete with ethical and environmental effects that have repercussions for generations to come, siphoning money and attention away from renewables……….

Hinkley Point C will be the first nuclear power station in the UK since Sizewell B, which started generating electricity in 1995. Along with 11 other new nuclear power stations the government hopes to see built, this would transform what has for some time been a legacy industry into one that would provide 16 GWe of new nuclear capacity by 2030.

Hinkley Point C is projected to provide electricity for 6m homes, meeting approximately 7% of the UK’s demand when running at full capacity. But the proposals are controversial, not least due to the cost involved.

All new nuclear builds involve high capital expenditures. However, many opponents of the Hinkley plan claim the £92.5/MWh strike price, the loan guarantee promised by the Treasury, liability issuance provided to EDFby the Government, and other financial measures actually amount to subsidies by another name – transferring liability onto British electricity customers and taxpayers for at least 35 years…….

n addition, the coalition agreement promised that new nuclear sites would not receive state financial aid. The European Commission has doubts that the estimated £17.6 bn in financial aid for the Hinkley deal can be justified.

Many environmentalists have expressed concerns over how the nuclear waste from these new reactors will be dealt with. Cumbria recently rejected government plans for an underground nuclear waste disposal facility, and the costs of cleaning up the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing site in the region have rocketed past £70bn.

“That site is so polluted and so nasty, and they just don’t know what to do with it,” claimed Catherine Mitchell, professor of energy policy at the University of Exeter, “so every time a new government comes in they just keep it going, they don’t deal with it.”…..

Many people still believe the UK is heading down the wrong electricity track, and should emulate Germany and Denmark and invest much more heavily in renewable sources of electricity. The potential for smart meters, increased energy efficiency measures, carbon capture technologies, distributed grids and community energy projects could change the way we consume electricity – and put the nuclear industry out of step with reality. “The whole energy system is changing,” added Mitchell, “and that’s really one of the big issues for nuclear power.”… http://www.theguardian.com/big-energy-debate/uk-nuclear-industry-where-now