UK sets aside $25 billion to establish fleet of new nuclear reactors - Interesting Engineering
UK sets aside $25 billion to establish fleet of new nuclear reactors
UK sets aside $25 billion to establish fleet of new nuclear reactorsIt could be six years before the first project is given the green light.Ameya Paleja| Jul 19, 2023 09:20 AM ESTCreated: Jul 19, 2023 09:20 AM ESTcultureStock image of a nuclear reactor and cooling towersRelaxfoto.de/iStock Stay ahead of your peers in technology and engineering - The BlueprintBy subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Policies You may unsubscribe at any time.The UK has set aside a hefty sum of 20 billion pounds (US$25 billion) to build a new fleet of nuclear reactors under a newly launched independent body called Great British Nuclear (GBN), The Guardian reported. UK's tryst with nuclear reactors goes back seven decades, when the Winston Churchill-led government built the world's first nuclear reactor in 1953. However, the following decades saw stiff opposition to nuclear power projects and successive governments stopped commissioning projects at newer sites. Currently, there are nine nuclear power plants in the region, but by 2028 seven of these are expected to be in various stages of decommissioning. Last year, the fallout from the Russian aggression in Ukraine sent energy prices through the roof in the UK and the government is looking to secure its energy future away from fossil fuels. See Also Related First small nuclear reactor design approved in the US UK plans a fleet of small nuclear reactors to fight energy crisis Why You Should Care About Small Nuclear Reactors Great British NuclearGrant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero in the UK, formally launched the Great British Nuclear (GBN), an independent body to aid the delivery of new nuclear projects, this week. Referring to the reluctance to commission new nuclear plants in the past as a "colossal mistake", Shapps said that the GBN would herald the beginning of a "new nuclear age, a renaissance in Britain’s nuclear industry.”A tender published alongside the GBN launch called for contracts to build a fleet of small modular reactors (SMR) which are much smaller than the currently operational nuclear facilities such as Hinkley Point C. The document said that one to four awards could be made and the government has set aside a sum of $25 billion toward design development and construction funding. A low-carbon energy sourceThe focus has shifted back to nuclear energy after the impact of climate change has been felt in many parts of the world. Last summer, rivers in Europe saw the worst drought in 500 years, and land temperatures have soared beyond 104 Fahrenheit (40oC) in many regions. Artist's representation of a nuclear reactor coreВалентин Игнаткин/iStock The UK has been extensively investing in offshore wind farms but also needs a reliable source of power when the winds don't blow. Nuclear power plants offer a low-carbon option but between commissioning and operation, the project could last years, if not a decade. GBN has been tasked with increasing nuclear energy's contribution to the energy mix in the UK to 25 percent in the next two and half decades. Currently, the number stands at 15 percent but will drop considerably as plants are shut down toward the end of the decade. Small modular reactors (SMR) such as those developed by Rolls-Royce offer a quicker way to set up nuclear plants, but at 300 MW, they are much smaller in capacity than conventional ones. The recent progress made by China in putting together a commercial-scale SMR boosts confidence in the technology.Shapps added that the government was stepping in to add more certainty to the nuclear energy market since previous approaches had failed. Critics of nuclear energy, however, have called this a "bad bet" and pointed out that time-consuming projects take resources away from renewable projects that can be set up quickly. Shapps also pointed out that the funding set aside was not a "spending commitment," and it could take six years to even make a decision on giving the green light to projects, The Guardian reported. HomeCultureAdd Interesting Engineering to your Google News feed.Add Interesting Engineering to your Google News feed.SHOW COMMENT (1) For You Toyota's solid-state battery breakthrough will reduce costs and size by 50 percentThe people behind the largest aircraft engine in the worldWhere are the aliens? A new study may finally solve the Fermi ParadoxSCOPE: This quantum dot spectrometer can hasten Uranus and Neptune orbital missionsAstronomers find exoplanet twice the mass of Jupiter hiding in plain sightCreator of groundbreaking "UFO patents" explains inventions in rare interviewQuantum drive that draws 'limitless power' from Sun will fly to orbit this yearDARPA is developing a real silent submarine similar to 'Red October'This fusion machine becomes the hottest place in the solar system when turned onJapanese researchers find a simple and affordable way to store hydrogen Job Board
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: nuclear
Nuclear energy provides almost 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Advocates have called for an expanded role for nuclear as an emissions-free fuel source. But the economics of building new reactors are daunting. In addition, lingering safety concerns are an institutionalized part of the calculation of nuclear regulation, and highly radioactive nuclear waste remains a can that public officials have been inclined to kick down the road. The Energy Information Administration projects a sharp decline in nuclear power generation over the next decade, as new nuclear plants — two are planned — are more than offset by anticipated retirements of several operating reactors.