Home

The UK Government needs to commit to backing a long-term nuclear future and stop procrastinating, says the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

A report from IMechE says the nuclear industry in the UK is facing stagnation and needs positive support from the Government like US President Barack Obama’s loan guarantees for new generating facilities.

The Government’s plans to build new nuclear capacity have been scaled back from 25 GW in 2008 to current plans for just 18.4 GW by 2025.

But according to IMechE, only one of the UK’s nuclear power stations will still be operational by 2023.

“For the UK to have a realistic chance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, electricity generation must be almost zero carbon emitting by 2030,” says the report.

For a fraction of the £131 billion that the Treasury has ploughed into the financial sector, the Government could have made a major investment in a nuclear future.

IMechE is now urging the Government to set a minimum carbon price or provide loan guarantees to support a new nuclear build programme now and beyond 2025.

All this could be in vain if the Government does not also invest in developing homegrown skilled engineers to design, build and operate new nuclear facilities, adds the report.

According to IMechE, each new nuclear plant would require around 1000 engineering and a 10,000 strong workforce in total.

“For the nuclear energy sector to have the confidence to invest tens of billions in new plant or technologies, it will need strong and binding commitment, delivered in actions that will last,” says Tim Fox of IMechE.

Meanwhile, however, the Government is also being lambasted by a group of academics, politicians and experts, who claim that insufficient information has been made publically available on its nuclear expansion plans, according to The Guardian newspaper.

The group are calling on the Government to set up an independent inquiry into the new generation of nuclear power stations that could be built in the UK.

For further information:
www.imeche.org
www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/mar/11/independent-inquiry-nuclear-power-stations

Related stories:
Obama announces first new nuclear power station in US for 30 years (17-Feb)
Yorkshire to become hub of UK’s nuclear redevelopment (4-Dec 2009)
UK Government unveils plans to transform country’s energy mix (10-Nov 2009)
UK business organisation calls for six more nuclear power stations (22-Oct 2009)
Gordon Brown sets out UK’s nuclear future (16-Jul 2009)