Nuclear power has been a low-carbon part of the UK’s energy mix for the past five decades.
The UK currently has 19 operating reactors at ten power stations, which provided 13% of the electricity generated in the UK in 2008. By 2025 all but one of these power stations will be closed down as they reach the end of their expected working lives.
The UK’s energy policy is designed to address the twin challenges of climate change and security of energy supply and the Government believes that nuclear is an important part of our energy policy, alongside reducing our energy use, a tenfold increase in renewables and investing in new energy technologies.
The Nuclear white paper 2008: 'meeting the energy challenge' sets out the Government’s view that nuclear, as an affordable, dependable and safe form of energy, should be part of the UK’s future low-carbon energy mix and that companies should have the option of building new nuclear power stations.
National Policy Statements for Energy Infrastructure
On 9 November 2009, the Government announced a consultation on a series of draft National Policy Statements to assist in energy infrastructure planning, and which will apply to nuclear, fossil fuels, renewables, transmission networks, and oil and gas pipelines. Once finalised and approved in 2010, they will be used by the Infrastructure Planning Commission to make decisions on applications for development consent for nationally significant energy infrastructure.
The consultation on the National Policy Statements will close on 22 February 2010. To find out more about the Statements and respond to the consultation, visit DECC’s Consultation on draft National Policy Statements for Energy Infrastructure website.