The UK has said it will start developing eight more nuclear reactors as part of its new energy strategy to avoid reliance on Russia for energy.
The plan, which comes as Russia continues its war in ukraine resulting in increased energy prices, also includes plans to increase wind, hydrogen and solar production.
Under the government’s new plans, up to 95% of the UK’s electricity could come from low-carbon sources by 2030.
The plan outlines the hope of producing up to 50 gigawatts (GW) of energy through offshore wind farms, which the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) said would be more than enough to power every home in the UK.
The government’s energy strategy has been much-delayed, with one of the big points of contention reported to have been the construction of onshore wind turbines.
In the nuclear part of the plan the UK plans to reduce the UK’s reliance on oil and gas by building as many as eight new nuclear reactors, including two at Sizewell in Suffolk.
On the Wind part of the plan, the government aims to reform planning laws to speed up approvals for new offshore wind farms.
It’s Hydrogen plans include doubling hydrogen production to help provide cleaner energy for industry as well as for power, transport and potentially heating.
It’s solar plan will involve considering reforming rules for installing solar panels on homes and commercial buildings to help increase the current solar capacity by up to five times by 2035.
The government announced that a new body called Great British Nuclear will be launched to bolster the UK’s nuclear capacity, with the hope that by 2050 up to 24 GW of electricity will come from that source – 25% of the projected electricity demand.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement that the strategy would “reduce our dependence on power sources exposed to volatile international prices we cannot control, so we can enjoy greater energy self-sufficiency with cheaper bills”.
