Topics / Climate, energy and science
Should the UK build more nuclear power?
Should the UK expand nuclear power as part of its future electricity system, rely instead on renewables with storage and other flexibility, or pursue nuclear mainly through small modular reactors? The disagreement turns partly on contested evidence about cost, speed and system reliability, and partly on how people weigh climate goals, energy security, financial risk to bill payers and long-term liabilities.
Positions
- Yes: The UK should build more nuclear power, including new large plants, because it provides reliable, low-carbon electricity around the clock and strengthens energy security as the existing fleet retires.
- No, renewables and storage instead: The UK should not build more nuclear power: new nuclear is slow and expensive, and renewables backed by storage, interconnection and flexible demand can decarbonise the grid faster and more cheaply.
- Yes, but small modular reactors rather than large plants: The UK should build more nuclear power, but through small modular reactors rather than large plants, because factory-built, standardised units should be faster, cheaper and less financially risky to build.