Nuclear Power in the U.K.

1. Nuclear Power in the U.K. Fiona Cassidy

2. Nuclear Power in the U.K. Nuclear power is back on the British Political Agenda Why? • U.K has 19 reactors generating 1/5 of it’s electricity • By 2023 all will be decommissioned

3. History • 1953 Government approve construction of 1st reactors at Calder Hall. • 1956 Suez crisis accentuated concerns about shortage of oil & coal – Nuclear Programme trebled • Pre 1980’s U.K. government policy to increase percentage of nuclear power providing electricity • 1988 Cost uncertainties leads to halt in reactor production • 1989 Electricity system privatised • 1996 All nuclear power plants apart from one transferred to private sector, British Energy

4. Locations Note: U.K. stations are Located by the coast As the sea is used as a Natural coolant for the reactor

5. Decommissioning Time Scale Nuclear power production in the U.K. is already decreasing

6. Nuclear Reactor Commissions • No new reactors have been built since the 1980’s • Why? – weakened political and public enthusiasm due to: • Number of accidents • Spiralling decommissioning costs • Unsolved problem of nuclear waste storage • Why the renewed interest now? • Soaring oil and gas prices • Dwindling domestic fossil fuel reserves • Pressure to tackle climate change

7. Nuclear Waste One of the biggest problems the nuclear industry faces Greatest concern • small proportion of nuclear waste that is “high level waste” High Level Waste • Waste so radioactive that it generates heat & corrodes all containers. • Would cause death within a few days to any one directly exposed to it. • In U.K. accounts for less than 0.3% of total volume of nuclear waste • Accounts for ½ the total radioactivity

8. Nuclear Waste Solution • No country has implemented a long term solution to this problem • Finland & U.S. plan to build repositories deep underground • This solution is under consideration in the U.K.

9. Nuclear Waste U.K. Nuclear Waste & Fuels • High Level Waste Waste from reprocessing spent fuel • Spent Fuel Mix of uranium, plutonium & fission products • Plutonium Radioactive element, by-product of uranium fission. Can be used in bombs • Intermediate Wastes Nuclear fuel casing, reactor components, sludge's • Uranium Radioactive element used as reactor fuel

10. Nuclear Waste If U.K. reactors all operate to their current shutdown dates & no more are built estimated; • 36,590m2 of high level waste • Equivalent of 14 Olympic sized swimming pools! Low level waste • Stored in sealed concrete vaults in a purpose built store in Drigg, Cumbria • Currently holds 960,000m3 • Equivalent of 384 Olympic swimming pools of waste

11. Cost Estimates vary considerably • Several organisations have tries to price kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity generated by nuclear power • Prices include cost of building, running & decommissioning the power stations • 2002 government report – power from Sizewell B cost 6p/kWh • Estimated 2020 – 3-4p/kWh

12. CostSeries of costs are difficult to quantify • Construction costs have a history of spiralling over budget • Past decommissioning bills have been large • Though better technology may bring financial improvements in both Capital costs • Larger proportion of total than for other technologies • Fuel costs are relatively small fraction • Initial costs are high Additional Considerations • Insurance – potential accidents are difficult to quantify • Long term disposal – no definite solution hence impossible to budget

13. Alternative Sources of Energy Gas 40% Coal 33% Nuclear 20% Hydro 2% Landfill gas 1.2% Oil 1.2% Bio fuels 0.6% Wind 0.5% Solar 0.1% Wave & Tidal 0.5%

14. Changing Opinions Nuclear Power: Increased popularity again due to: • Souring oil, gas and coal prices • More cost effective when a financial value is put on CO2 emissions • Nuclear reactor has no emissions of green house gases • Even when considering emissions from uranium, building stations still much lower than fossil fuel burning

15. Future Plans Last nuclear power plant built in U.K – Sizewell B • 15 years from proposal to electrical production • Cost two times original budget • Plans for a further 9 reactors of similar design were abandoned Therefore people are cautious about future reactors

16. Future Plans Friends of the Earth – their opinion: • Doubling Britain’s nuclear capacity ultimately requires 28 new power stations • Would only reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 8% “Nuclear power has had 30 years of subsides, billions of dollars poured into it & it still only produces 7% of the world’s energy” “We have got to find another way of doing it” AGAINST NUCLEAR POWER DEVELOPMENT

17. Future Plans Nuclear Industry Association – their opinion If government decisions are taken quickly enough a new generation of nuclear power station could be ready to help Britain achieve its target of 10% cut in emissions by 2020 If measures were taken to streamline procedures at the beginning around licensing, regulation & the planning system 10 new stations could be running in 10 years time

18. Future Plans However………. With still no practical method with dealing with the waste; Do we really want more waste that we don’t know what to do with? • Britain's 6 biggest energy firms now have to source an increased proportion of energy from renewable sources each year • Analysis concludes that wind, on & offshore, will form a bulk of that 10% due to its technical maturity

19. Conclusion The future of the U.K. nuclear energy production is still unclear. Friends of the Earth feels the solution lies in: • Cleaning up existing coal & gas power stations • Perhaps by taking the CO2 out of emissions & burying them deep underground However there is still a long way to go & until then all power sources must be considered: Fossil, nuclear & renewable energy in order to meet the demands of the country.