WNA reported on updated information:
- The UK generates about 15% of its electricity from about 6.5 GW of nuclear capacity.
- Most existing capacity is to be retired by the end of the decade, but the first of a new generation of nuclear plants is under construction.
Government plans call for up to 24 GW of new nuclear capacity by 2050 to provide about 25% of electricity.
- The UK has implemented a thorough assessment process for new reactor designs and their siting.
- The UK has privatized power generation and liberalized its electricity market, which together make major capital investments problematic.
Electricity sector
Total generation (in 2020): 313 TWh
Generation mix:
natural gas 114.1 TWh (36%);
wind 75.6 TWh (24%);
nuclear 50.3 TWh (16%);
biofuels & waste 44.9 TWh (14%);
solar 12.8 TWh (4%);
hydroelectric 7.9 TWh (3%);
coal 6.2 TWh (2%);
other 1.0 TWh.
Import/export balance: 17.9 TWh net import (22.4 TWh imports, 4.5 TWh exports)
Total consumption: 281 TWh
Per capita consumption: c. 4200 kWh in 2020
Source: International Energy Agency and The World Bank. Data for year 2020
2020 electricity generating capacity was 101 GWe: 35.2 GWe natural gas, 24.5 GWe wind, 13.5 GWe solar, 8.6 GWe biofuels & waste, 7.8 GWe nuclear, 5.9 GWe coal, 4.8 GWe hydro and 1.1 GWe oil.
In the late 1990s, nuclear power plants contributed around 25% of total annual electricity generation in the UK, but this has gradually declined as old plants have been shut down and ageing-related problems affect plant availability.
There is a 2000 MW high-voltage DC connection with France, a 1000 MW one with the Netherlands, a 1000 MW one with Belgium. A final investment decision on a 1400 MW link – 'Northconnect' – over 750 km between Scotland and Norway was expected in 2020, but has been delayed. A further 2000 MW connection (the 'Aquind' interconnector) with France's Normandy is planned.
Energy policy
UK energy policy since the 2008 Energy Act has largely been built around reducing carbon dioxide emissions rather than security of supply or cost. The 2008 Climate Change Act (CCA) set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050 from 1990s levels. The CCA requires the UK government to set legally-binding five-year ‘carbon budgets’ to ensure progress towards the 2050 target. In June 2019, following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC's) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C, the CCA was amended to commit the UK to achieving a 100% reduction in emissions – 'net zero' – by 2050.
The CCA required a report setting out proposals for meeting the carbon budgets. The government's Clean Growth Strategy was published in October 2017.
In November 2020 the government published The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, which announced funding and support for the following areas:
- Advancing offshore wind.
- Driving the growth of low-carbon hydrogen.
- Delivering new and advanced nuclear power.
- Accelerating the shift to zero emissions vehicles.
- Green public transport, cycling and walking.
- 'Jet zero' and green ships.
- Greener buildings.
- Investing in carbon capture, usage and storage.
- Protecting the natural environment.
- Green finance and innovation.
Following on from the Ten Point Plan, in December 2020 the government published a white paper, Powering our Net Zero Future, which sets out the changes needed to make the transition to clean energy by 2050.
In 2021, the Sixth Carbon Budget report (covering the period 2033-2037) – issued by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) that was established under the CCA – set a target of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions relative to 1990 levels by 2035.
In 2022, following Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine (see information page on Russian-Ukraine War and Nuclear energy), the UK government announced a “major acceleration of homegrown power” to “boost long-term energy independence, security and prosperity.” The energy security strategy is centred on a significant expansion of nuclear energy, with an ambition of up to 24 GWe of capacity by 2050 to provide about 25% of electricity. A new government body, Great British Nuclear, would be set up to “bring forward new projects" and a £120 million Future Nuclear Enabling Fund was launched to "support development of nuclear projects, stimulate competition in the industry and unlock investment."
The strategy also sets out new ambitions for offshore wind as well as a new licensing round for North Sea oil and gas projects. The UK used to be a large producer of oil and gas from the North Sea, but production declined significantly since its peak in 2000. In 2004 the country became a net importer of natural gas and in 2005 a net importer of crude oil. During the decade 2007-2017 natural gas and oil net imports more than doubled.
Due to a policy of coal to gas switching, gas is a key pillar of the UK energy mix and is particularly important for electricity generation. Domestic gas production peaked in 2000 before declining by about 65% in the following decade. Production levels have since remained broadly stable. In 2020, domestic production was sufficient to meet about 50% of demand. Most imports come via pipeline from Norway (55% of the total in 2020). In recent years, the proportion of gas imported as LNG has risen substantially (to 42% of the total in 2020). Of the gas imported as LNG in 2020, 48% was from Qatar, 27% from the USA, 12% from Russia, and 6% from Trinidad & Tobago.
In November 2015 the government articulated new policy priorities for UK energy, involving possibly phasing out coal-fired generation without carbon dioxide abatement in 2025, building new gas-fired plants, and much greater reliance on nuclear power and offshore wind to grapple with “a legacy of ageing, often unreliable plant” and undue reliance on coal. The energy secretary said: "Opponents of nuclear misread the science. It is safe and reliable. The challenge, as with other low carbon technologies, is to deliver nuclear power which is low cost as well. Green energy must be cheap energy.
“We are dealing with a legacy of under-investment and with Hinkley Point C planning to start generating in the mid-2020s, this is already changing. It is imperative we do not make the mistakes of the past and just build one nuclear power station." The government has committed to reaching an investment decision on "at least one" large-scale nuclear power station during the current parliament – which must end by December 2024.
In June 2021 the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Nuclear Energy called for urgent decisions to maintain at least 10 GWe of nuclear capacity. "The most critical step now is for government to begin legislating for a financing model for new nuclear in 2021,” it said. It outlined a 10-point roadmap free of EU constraints.
Nuclear power industry
Nuclear policy and procedure from 2006
Relationship with the European Union and Euratom
Building new nuclear capacity: Hinkley Point C
Building new nuclear capacity: other proposals
Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)
Fuel cycle facilities and materials: front end
Fuel cycle facilities and materials: back end
Radioactive waste
Public opinion and industry support
Research & development
Safety, security and non-proliferation
Notes & references
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