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 provide up to 18% of the electricity generated in the UK. By 2025 all but one of these power stations will be closed down as they reach the end of their expected working lives.
The existing UK’s energy policy is designed to address the twin challenges of climate change and security of energy supply. The Nuclear white paper 2008: 'meeting the energy challenge' set out the 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.