2. Background
History of Nuclear Reactors in UK
SWOT analysis
Conclusions and recommendations
3. Manmade carbon emissions causing climate change as a
greenhouse gas
Sea level rises of up to 0.6m by end of the 21st century
Extreme weather and catastrophic climate change
Acidification of the sea
Kyoto Protocol (11 December 1997)
UN backed binding treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
2008 Climate Change Act
Commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% of
1990 levels by 2050
To date, the UK has reduced carbon emissions by 23% on 1990
levels
Electricity generation accounts for nearly 1/3 of UK carbon
emissions
4. 1947
Construction of
first reactors at
Sellafield
commenced
1956
First electricity-
generating Magnox
nuclear reactor Calder
Hall in operation
1957
Windscale accident –
INES level 5 - reactor core
caught fire releasing
substantial amounts of
radioactive
contamination into the
surrounding area
1959
Commissioning of
Magnox station
Chapelcross
1962
Commissioning
of Magnox
stations Berkeley
and Bradwell
5. 1965-1966
Commissioning of
Magnox stations
Hunterston A,
Hinkley A,
Trawsfynydd,
Dungeness A and
Sizewell A
1967-1971
Commissioning of
Magnox stations
Oldbury and Wylfa
1976-1985
Commissioning of AGRs
Hinkley B, Hunterston B,
Hartlepool, Heysham,
and Dungeness B
1988-1989
Commissioning of
AGRs Heysham II
andTorness
1995
Commissioning of
PWR Sizewell B
6. Low carbon option
Relatively cheap and reliable
Good for base load generation
Unlike renewables which are less reliable
Uses relatively small amount of fuel compared
to fossil fuels.
Approximately 8 kWh of heat can be generated from
1 kg of coal and 24,000,000 kWh of heat from 1 kg of
uranium-235
More stable fuel price as reasonably assured of
190 years of uranium supply
7.
8. Technology Cost in £ per MWh (inclusive of capital
costs)
Coal 104.5
Gas 80
Onshore wind 94
Offshore wind 157
Nuclear 99
Source : Mott MacDonald UK ElectricityGeneration Costs Update June 2010
9. High initial build costs
£7 billion for nuclear compared to £800 million for a gas-
fired station
Similar to cost of wind power per megawatt of installed
capacity
Risk of an accident
Could be severe, causing death by radiation exposure and
long-term environmental effects
Risk of death to public of up to 1 in 10,000 per annum
considered acceptable
Radioactive nuclear waste
Recently plans for geological repository vetoed in Cumbria
10. Energy Gap (2010s and 2020s)
Closure of old power stations
Increasing use of electricity for transport and
heating
Demand will be greater than the supply
Depletion of UK’s supply of North Sea Gas
Reliance on Russia and Middle East – political as
well as pricing issues
Need for a diversity of supply for energy
needs to guarantee supply
11. Horizon Nuclear Power (Hitachi)
Wylfa, Anglesey and Oldbury, Gloucestershire
2-3 x 1300 MWe Advanced BoilingWater Reactors
(ABWR) on each site
Sites already purchased
ABWR design yet to gain Office for Nuclear
Regulation (ONR) and Environment Agency
approval through Generic Design Assessment
(GDA)
Commissioned by 2025
12. NNB Genco (EDF Energy)
Hinkley Point, Somerset and Sizewell, Suffolk
2 x 1650 MWe EPRs at each site
Planned for operation by 2022
13. NuGen (Iberdrola and GDF Suez)
Up to 3600 MWe in Moorside (Sellafield), Cumbria
Option to purchase site for £70 million
Final decision expected in 2015
Power station to be commissioned in 2023
14. Public opinion
42% support nuclear new build, 20% oppose it (Ipsos
MORI’s latest poll in December 2012)
70% support nuclear as part of the energy mix (Nuclear
Industry Association 11/12/2012)
Economic conditions
Wholesale price of electricity currently around £50 per
MWh
Negotiated “strike price” with government to guarantee a
fixed price for nuclear generated electricity not agreed
New reactor designs may not get regulatory approval
15. I conclude that there is a need for nuclear
power
Therefore nuclear power should remain part
of the energy mix
I recommend that the UK continue with a
cautious approach to nuclear energy but
maintain the capability to construct and
operate nuclear power stations
16. “The Future of Nuclear Power in the UK”, Birmingham Policy
Commission, July 2012
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attach
ment_data/file/65715/71-uk-electricity-generation-costs-update-
.pdf
http://www.world-nuclear.org/education/comparativeco2.html
http://www.nationalgrid.com/NR/rdonlyres/86C815F5-0EAD-
46B5-A580-
A0A516562B3E/50819/10312_1_NG_Futureenergyscenarios_WEB
1.pdf
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.berr.gov.
uk/files/file28276.pdf
http://www.euronuclear.org/info/encyclopedia/f/fuelcomparison.h
tm
