The Royal Academy of Engineering in Britain warned Friday that time was running out for the country to make critical decisions to meet its goals of a “secure and affordable low carbon energy system for 2030 and beyond.”
It also said nuclear power was needed to meet the “massive … challenge” that should be approached as a “whole systems” problem.
A RAE report of the country's energy needs was undertaken at the request of the government's Council for Science and Technology. In conclusion, “The Academy stresses 'time is rapidly running out to make the crucial planning decisions and secure investment,' to ensure the UK has an energy system to meet its emissions targets,” the RAE said on its Web site.
"As a secure, baseload source of low-carbon electricity, nuclear power is essential,” said the RAE. By 2030, specifically, the nuclear capacity in Britain could range from 5 GWe to 15 GWe. However, the low end of that scenario would be “a major concern,” according to the report.
Pointedly, the Academy applauded the government's efforts to reinstate nuclear energy as a viable option in the country, but it also warned that the process for plant development was extremely slow. Any slower and the country could put grid delivery at risk.
The group announced its findings in a report entitled: “A Critical Time for UK Energy Policy.”
Energy Technologies Institute Chief Executive Officer David Clarke, who led the group that produced the report, said updating the UK energy system involved solving a “'trilemma' of decarbonization, security and affordability.”
“Failure to plan the development of the whole energy system carefully will result, at best, in huge increases in the cost of delivery or, at worst, a failure to deliver,” he said.