{"id":294854,"date":"2024-01-13T19:48:38","date_gmt":"2024-01-13T18:48:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=294854"},"modified":"2024-01-13T19:48:41","modified_gmt":"2024-01-13T18:48:41","slug":"british-pm-nuclear-push-nuclear-is-the-perfect-antidote-to-the-energy-challenges-facing-britain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=294854","title":{"rendered":"British PM Nuclear Push: \u201cNuclear is the perfect antidote to the energy challenges facing Britain\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"407\" data-attachment-id=\"294856\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=294856\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/0internal_reactor_3.jpg?fit=1504%2C846&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1504,846\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0internal_reactor_3\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/0internal_reactor_3.jpg?fit=723%2C407&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/0internal_reactor_3.jpg?resize=723%2C407&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-294856\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/0internal_reactor_3.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/0internal_reactor_3.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/0internal_reactor_3.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/0internal_reactor_3.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/0internal_reactor_3.jpg?w=1504&amp;ssl=1 1504w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/0internal_reactor_3.jpg?w=1446&amp;ssl=1 1446w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"http:\/\/Watts Up With That?\">Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Essay by Eric Worrall<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wattsupwiththat.com\/2024\/01\/10\/is-france-quietly-ditching-renewable-energy-targets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">French moves to downgrade renewables<\/a>, Britain now also seems to be jumping on board the nuclear bandwagon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>UK government sets out plans for \u2018biggest nuclear power expansion in 70 years\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ministers hope to build fleet of reactors to meet quarter of electricity demand by 2050 but critics highlight long delays and rising costs<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/profile\/jillian-ambrose\">Jillian Ambrose<\/a>&nbsp;Thu 11 Jan 2024 11.01 AEDT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government has set out plans for what it claims will be Britain\u2019s biggest nuclear power expansion in 70 years, despite concerns about faltering nuclear output and project delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The roadmap echoes plans put forward by the then prime minister, Boris Johnson, in 2022 to \u201cbuild a new [reactor] every year\u201d to wean Britain off fossil fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since then the developer of Hinkley Point C, the French utility EDF, has said the cost of Britain\u2019s first new nuclear plant in a generation had spiralled to \u00a333bn, a 30% increase from 2015 when it forecast the cost at between \u00a325bn to 26bn. There are also concerns that Hinkley\u2019s start date may be delayed from the summer of 2027 to the early 2030s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sunak said the government\u2019s latest support for the nuclear industry was \u201cthe next step in our commitment to nuclear power, which puts us on course to achieve&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/business\/2023\/jul\/09\/nuclear-option-to-the-fore-as-tories-prepare-to-unveil-roadmap-to-net-zero\">net zero<\/a>&nbsp;by 2050 in a measured and sustainable way\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNuclear is the perfect antidote to the energy challenges facing Britain \u2013 it\u2019s green, cheaper in the long term and will ensure the UK\u2019s energy security for the long term,\u201d he said. \u201cThis will ensure our future energy security and create the jobs and skills we need to level up the country and grow our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2026Read more:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2024\/jan\/11\/uk-government-sets-out-plans-for-biggest-nuclear-power-expansion-in-70-years\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2024\/jan\/11\/uk-government-sets-out-plans-for-biggest-nuclear-power-expansion-in-70-years<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What a difference a few years makes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Back in 2022&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.futurenetzero.com\/2022\/11\/07\/rishi-sunak-to-call-for-accelerated-renewable-energy-transition-at-cop27\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told us renewables are the solution to climate change<\/a>. \u201cWe need to move further and faster to transition to renewable energy and I will ensure the UK is at the forefront of this global movement as a clean energy superpower.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fast forward to today, and now \u201cNuclear is the perfect antidote to the energy challenges facing Britain\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Britain may not have officially abandoned renewables, but they don\u2019t exactly seem front and foremost as they once were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Outside of specialised applications such as low power remote sensing systems, renewables have been a total failure pretty much everywhere they have been tried. Even&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wattsupwiththat.com\/2023\/06\/22\/broken-promises-a-profound-slowdown-in-renewable-investment-in-australia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sun drenched Australia is failing to make renewables work<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perhaps the utter failure of renewables to deliver lower energy prices is finally starting to bite. Attempting to create a renewable energy powered economy at 50 degrees North of the equator was always a green pipe dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Following\u00a0French moves to downgrade renewables, Britain now also seems to be jumping on board the nuclear bandwagon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":294856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Following\u00a0French moves to downgrade renewables, Britain now also seems to be jumping on board the nuclear bandwagon.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818902,691818206,691819094,691823415],"class_list":{"0":"post-294854","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-nuclear-power","10":"tag-renewable-green-energy","11":"tag-u-k-prime-minister-rishi-sunak","13":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/0internal_reactor_3.jpg?fit=1504%2C846&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1eHI","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":263952,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=263952","url_meta":{"origin":294854,"position":0},"title":"Sweden Deals Body Blow to EU Climate Change Agenda","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"06\/26\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Sweden recently stirred the global climate conversation by overturning its green energy targets and\u00a0shifting its focus back to nuclear power.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0sdlvDoIciMxY9g-nh.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0sdlvDoIciMxY9g-nh.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0sdlvDoIciMxY9g-nh.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0sdlvDoIciMxY9g-nh.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/0sdlvDoIciMxY9g-nh.webp?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":248240,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=248240","url_meta":{"origin":294854,"position":1},"title":"Renewable Fail: Britain to Now Class Nuclear Power as \u201cSustainable Energy\u201d","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"03\/17\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The British government has caved in to the reality that renewables don\u2019t work, and will now include nuclear energy in its plan to transition to \u201csustainable\u201d power.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-620.png?fit=1200%2C765&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-620.png?fit=1200%2C765&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-620.png?fit=1200%2C765&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-620.png?fit=1200%2C765&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-620.png?fit=1200%2C765&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":277876,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=277876","url_meta":{"origin":294854,"position":2},"title":"Net Zero Fail: UK Government to Forcibly Switch Your Appliances Off","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/08\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Imagine needing government permission to turn up your winter heating when you catch Covid, or pleading with bureaucrats to allow you to heat more rooms in your house. But don\u2019t call it energy rationing.","rel":"","context":"In \"CO2\"","block_context":{"text":"CO2","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=co2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-271.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-271.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-271.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-271.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-271.png?fit=1200%2C628&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":422838,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=422838","url_meta":{"origin":294854,"position":3},"title":"Britain to extend life of ageing nuclear plants to keep the lights\u00a0on","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"01\/24\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Two of Britain's oldest nuclear plants- Hartlepool and Heysham 1 (both Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors, or AGRs, operated by EDF Energy)- could see their lives extended by an additional two years to around 2030. This comes due to an acute electricity shortage risk, as the UK transitions toward more intermittent renewables\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"energy industry\"","block_context":{"text":"energy industry","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=energy-industry"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQMJZfYLM5x7xOh1oEBUCaz5sWcegjj3oLkIERsnc-lV5IIUm4B41YhH-4IXnrgFC0HdNlCWj1To8bJtRjei8RTwNG-5z0bHLcWgcQ_XcKgJluXM42FANyx6J3Sm7yU.jpeg?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQMJZfYLM5x7xOh1oEBUCaz5sWcegjj3oLkIERsnc-lV5IIUm4B41YhH-4IXnrgFC0HdNlCWj1To8bJtRjei8RTwNG-5z0bHLcWgcQ_XcKgJluXM42FANyx6J3Sm7yU.jpeg?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQMJZfYLM5x7xOh1oEBUCaz5sWcegjj3oLkIERsnc-lV5IIUm4B41YhH-4IXnrgFC0HdNlCWj1To8bJtRjei8RTwNG-5z0bHLcWgcQ_XcKgJluXM42FANyx6J3Sm7yU.jpeg?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQMJZfYLM5x7xOh1oEBUCaz5sWcegjj3oLkIERsnc-lV5IIUm4B41YhH-4IXnrgFC0HdNlCWj1To8bJtRjei8RTwNG-5z0bHLcWgcQ_XcKgJluXM42FANyx6J3Sm7yU.jpeg?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AQMJZfYLM5x7xOh1oEBUCaz5sWcegjj3oLkIERsnc-lV5IIUm4B41YhH-4IXnrgFC0HdNlCWj1To8bJtRjei8RTwNG-5z0bHLcWgcQ_XcKgJluXM42FANyx6J3Sm7yU.jpeg?fit=1200%2C686&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":414364,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=414364","url_meta":{"origin":294854,"position":4},"title":"Britain faces threat of blackouts from \u2018nuclear planning paralysis\u2019","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/23\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s a bit late to panic now!","rel":"","context":"In \"Blackouts\"","block_context":{"text":"Blackouts","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=blackouts"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0blackout-in-deutschland.webp?fit=1200%2C574&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0blackout-in-deutschland.webp?fit=1200%2C574&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0blackout-in-deutschland.webp?fit=1200%2C574&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0blackout-in-deutschland.webp?fit=1200%2C574&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/0blackout-in-deutschland.webp?fit=1200%2C574&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":218350,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=218350","url_meta":{"origin":294854,"position":5},"title":"Self-Inflicted Wind &#038; Solar Calamity Forces Brits to Embrace Reliable Nuclear Power","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"09\/11\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Necessity is the mother of energy policy reinvention, and safe, reliable and affordable nuclear is at the heart of it.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-557.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-557.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-557.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-557.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-557.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=294854"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":294858,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294854\/revisions\/294858"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/294856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=294854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=294854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=294854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}