The UK government has signalled its commitment to new nuclear power plants by setting up Great British Nuclear (GBN), an industry advisor told NucNet.
When GBN was launched in July, its mandate was to accelerate the expansion of nuclear power capacity and help the UK achieve its target for 24 GW of electricity to be generated by nuclear sources by 2050 – four times the current level.
However, more clarification is needed to prevent the country falling behind as it pushes towards its target of 24 GW, Meera Kotak, a UK-based energy advisor and associate principal at consulting firm Charles River Associates, said.
Ms Kotak said it is not clear if the 24 GW target is going to be met by large-scale nuclear plants or small modular reactors (SMRs) and other advanced reactors, with large nuclear stations such as Hinkley Point C and – potentially – more units at Sizewell C likely to “remain the backbone for a long time”.