Institution responds to calls for 'plan B' in case new nuclear reactors are not built in the UK

Alistair Smith, Chairman of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Power Industries Division, said in response to the Energy and Climate Change Committee calling for a ‘plan B’ in case new nuclear reactors are not built in the UK:

“In order for the country to have  secure, low carbon electricity supplies long-term, the UK needs to establish a balanced electricity mix with low-carbon electricity from nuclear and renewable energy plants supported by flexible gas-fired generation, and in the longer term potentially carbon capture and storage technology.

“Whilst this has been Government policy since 2008, the reforms required to encourage the market to follow this strategy have been painfully slow to take effect and as a result, very few power plants have been built over the past 5 years. 

“The Government needs to agree the level of support, or  ‘strike price’, for projects where planning, engineering and funding have advanced sufficiently for construction to begin. This will encourage developers to progress their projects quickly.  Dithering on this issue just plays into the hands of the developers who will be in an even stronger position if the capacity margins reduce and there becomes a real threat of the lights going out.

“In the near term, the UK looks set to be at the mercy of gas price volatility as developers look to build gas plants to meet the looming gap.

“But if market mechanisms are applied correctly by Government, there is an opportunity for the UK to have a truly diversified and secure energy mix where utilities are encouraged to  develop their plans for renewable energy and nuclear power which will fill the much larger gap which will appear post 2020.”