With the launch of Great British Nuclear last week (18 July), one of the biggest questions surrounding the technology remains just how the UK will use nuclear to support the energy transition.
Although nuclear is able to produce large amounts of low-carbon energy, the waste created via this process perhaps does not warrant its inclusion in the net zero discussion.
But with the UK Government committed to expanding the use of nuclear, in particular small modular reactors (SMRs) which are advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300MW per unit, how could they be used as the UK begins to decarbonise? And with the controversy that surrounds the technology and billions being invested, should this capital be put towards wind, solar and other renewable technologies?
Talking to Current±, Tim Sowinski, analyst at Cornwall Insight, he acknowledges that all currently active nuclear plants are expected to be decommissioned well before 2050. But the potential of modern nuclear technology could provide plenty of energy as fossil fuel assets begin to be phased out and the government is looking to scale its capacity further.
He says: “The UK has one large-scale plant under construction and one in planning. Once online these will replace our current nuclear generation capacity of ~6GW.
“The government has a target of achieving up to 25% of the UK’s electricity from nuclear sources by 2050 and is providing funding to achieve this through the development of the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model and £700 million in backing to the Sizewell C project, which they expect to have under final investment decision by the end of the current parliament.
“We note, however, this is subject to securing funding from other investors and there are concerns about the appetite of funders for the project. Despite this, it remains likely we will see an increase in nuclear generation capacity by 2050 compared to today.”
SMRs are a new focus of attention for the government due to their smaller size, the time required to construct, and the lower costs associated. Because of this, these small reactors can produce up to 300MW of energy in shorter time frames as opposed to conventional nuclear plants which often take years.
Commenting on this technology, Sowinski says: “SMRs are a new take on nuclear and provide a smaller/modular design; more modern reactors; and mostly factory-assembled parts, which could significantly reduce build times and cost (although the cost benefits on a £-per-generated-unit-of-electricity basis is uncertain at this point).
“Because of this, they’ve been gaining a lot of attention for being potentially more viable alternatives in the net zero transition than their large-scale counterparts – it is worth bearing in mind that these are first-of-a-kind assets, so development risks remain.”
The risks linked with nuclear energy are a key discussion point. It is well documented the impact nuclear can have on the environment and human health, which highlights the importance of ensuring the technology is safe to use.
Nuclear waste also poses a significant barrier for the technology. Despite the vast quantities of energy that can be released via nuclear, the waste can impact the environment for thousands of years and cause irreversible damage.
Touching on this topic, Sowinski highlighted the work being done via recycling spent nuclear fuel into new nuclear fuel.
“The level of nuclear waste can be mitigated by recycling spent nuclear fuel into new nuclear fuel. This is a practice which the UK made use of from 1964-2022,” Sowinski says.
“It does not fully mitigate the issue of nuclear waste, but it does reduce waste levels and also reduces the impact of our dependency on imported fuels. If fully utilised, this could reduce the volume of waste we have to permanently store by 80%, according to the Argonne National Laboratory.”
Despite advances in this field, Sowinski references that still, 20% of waste would still be created. With the environmental impact this can have, this poses whether nuclear can truly be used in a net zero UK and whether the vast quantities of capital being allocated should instead be allocated into renewable technologies such as solar and wind instead – both of which could solve bottlenecks with some of the touted figures.