Luckily for me, I only had to experience a day or two of the heatwave in Britain before my trip home to Canada. Unfortunately for everyone else living in the general vicinity of Europe however, it seems that this level of heat is only just the beginning, and is here to stay. We can see the impacts of climate change before our very own eyes, with warmer summers and colder winters. This, coupled with the unfortunate fact that the UK’s annual energy bill will be at its highest levels in nearly 50 years with even more records set to be broken this coming winter, means that British energy is in desperate need of reform and updating. As if the situation isn’t already bad enough, with the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and with Nordstream under threat, energy prices could continue to skyrocket this winter for our continental friends, which could very well have a knock on effect on our own energy prices, further driving energy bills through the ceiling. Perhaps now more than ever, the situation necessitates a frank and realistic conversation about clean and renewable energy. However, one cannot have a frank and realistic conversation about renewables, without first addressing the elephant in the room:nuclear power.
I can hear the angry comments from the Green party already, questioning my sanity and perhaps demand my conversion away from the cult of the atom. However, we said a realistic conversation, which means we must take a realistic look at the current energy situation in the UK. I must concede that wind farm technology has come a long way since the early 2010s, growing leaps and bounds with each additional wind farm established. Integration however, remains a complex and slow process, with most of the energy these wind farms produce going to waste due to insufficient technological advancement in energy storage and distribution. Whilst solar farms may be a viable option for the summer months, the location of the British Isles means that these farms will lay useless during the winter months. With nearly a 50% downtime, we cannot justify nor rely on these farms to fill our energy needs. This is not mentioning the political reality facing solar and wind farms. Both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have promised in their leadership campaign to inherit and hit the 2050 net-zero emissions goals, whilst moving away from solar and wind energy because of their unreliability and ‘sore aesthetics’. This coupled with a new 20 billion pound investment into two nuclear power stations on the East coast of England, it looks like nuclear power will have to be the way forward for renewables in this country.
To say that this country has had a complicated relationship with nuclear power would be putting it lightly. This is an issue that has long divided voters, political parties, and even devolved governments. SNP in both Westminster and Bute House stand opposed to nuclear expansion, whilst the Scottish Greens, their coalition partner in Holyrood also oppose similar expansions. In Wales, both Welsh Labour and Conservatives are in favour of nuclear power, while Plaid Cymru opposes any further expansion. In Northern Ireland, all are principally against nuclear power, whilst down south in the Republic of Ireland nuclear power is banned under the Electricity Regulation Act of 1999. Public opinion also swings wildly, with no statistically significant support one way or another.
From a practical standpoint, nuclear power is safe and environmentally friendly. The anti-nuclear movement has drummed up public support thanks to the nuclear disasters in the past. However, what isn’t taken into account here is the effect the mismanagement of nuclear plants as well as natural disasters had on those disasters. The UK is extremely unlikely to face tsunamis or earthquakes like that in Japan, nor will nuclear stations be mismanaged like in Ukraine. Out of all the possible clean energy solutions, nuclear power is the safest, as well as cleanest. It produces next to no carbon emissions, significantly less than even wind and solar. With the current technology available, nuclear fuel rods can be recycled and reused, as well as safely stored without past worries of contamination. Nuclear stations are also job creators in the local economy, as well as cheap to operate. Whilst wind and solar farms need constant maintenance and repairs.
From a political standpoint, nuclear power faces challenges, but still addresses a great number of issues, so that in my opinion its implementation is worth the political capital. Energy security is something we must seriously consider and implement now, especially post-Russian invasion. We have seen the lack of fuel and energy security and its effects on countries like Germany and Austria both economically and politically. We cannot allow ourselves to be held hostage by the price and availability of energy. Nuclear power solves that issue: it makes Britain self-reliant and secure, and allows us to stand up to foreign powers without worrying about energy. Post Iraq, many commentators in Europe and the UK have said that Europe must never again allow itself to be drawn into a war over resources and energy supply. Nuclear power gives us the capability to back up that statement and further our trade independence.
Economically speaking, nuclear power benefits both energy consumers like you and me, as well as our international trade. Nuclear power is incredibly cheap to produce, the cheapest compared to its alternatives. Nuclear power is cheaper to produce per kilowatt than any other alternatives, which would see our energy bills cut dramatically. On the international stage, switching to a nuclear power predominate model would see the UK becoming one of the largest energy producers and potentially exporters in Europe. France, who has a similar policy of nuclear power, earns more than 3 billion Euros a year from exporting excess nuclear energy.
Nuclear power is a solution that checks all the boxes for Britain. It is cheap to produce, and easy to maintain. A job creator, and a draw for billions of pounds of investment into our energy network from both public and private sources. It would see our energy bills go down, all the while being on track to hit our net zero target. It would provide Britain with energy security and a new trade good, as well as safeguarding our interests internationally. While the concerns against nuclear power cannot be discarded, I think now more than ever could see it as a viable solution to many of our problems. Perhaps it’s time to stop worrying, and learn to love nuclear power.