The following information is from the NEA publication Nuclear Energy Data, the annual compilation of official statistics and country reports on nuclear energy in OECD member countries.
Country | Number of nuclear power plants connected to the grid | Nuclear electricity generation (net TWh) | Nuclear percentage of total electricity supply |
---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 15 | 58.0 (b) | 18.0 |
OECD Europe | 127 | 774.4 | 21.7 |
OECD Total | 311 | 1 856.8 | 17.6 |
NEA Total | 352 | 2 062.6 | 17.9 |
The UK government recognises the importance of nuclear for delivering decarbonisation and energy security. New nuclear power is being delivered and planned, with the backdrop of much of the current fleet being planned to close in the following decade. The UK government is also preparing for its exit from the EU and from the Euratom Treaty.
Arrangements are being put into place to set up a domestic nuclear safeguards regime to enable the United Kingdom to meet international safeguards and nuclear non-proliferation obligations that will take effect once Euratom arrangements no longer apply to the United Kingdom. The Nuclear Safeguards Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament, enables the UK to set up such a domestic safeguards regime.
The domestic safeguards regime – to be overseen by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) – will exceed what is required to meet future international safeguards obligations, and will be robust and as comprehensive as that currently provided for by Euratom. On 19 January 2018, the government published pre-consultation draft regulations to underpin the Nuclear Safeguards Bill and a first technical workshop with operators was held on these regulations on 9 February 2018. A formal consultation will take place this summer.
The UK government has started the process of seeking International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) approval of the UK's Voluntary Offer Agreement and Additional Protocol with the IAEA.
In the upcoming decades, the current fleet of UK NPPs will be shut down, with the first units expected to come offline in 2023 and the last currently expected (barring lifetime extensions) to come offline in 2035. As part of its overall energy policy, the government has welcomed industry to come forward with plans for new NPPs. Current plans to develop new nuclear power at six sites in the United Kingdom are set out below:
In March 2017, the ONR also gave consent to begin the construction of the Hinkley Point C NPP, including the structural concrete placement. In January 2017, UK HPR1000 of General Nuclear System Ltd. began the generic design assessment (GDA) process. In March 2017, Westinghouse's AP1000 reactor design completed the GDA and was confirmed as suitable for construction in the United Kingdom. In December 2017, Hitachi- GE's UK advanced boiling water reactor (UK ABWR) cleared the GDA process.
In January 2018, as the next step following the publication of the Implementing Geological Disposal White Paper in 2014, two consultations were launched in parallel by the government. The consultation on the National Policy Statement (NPS) for geological disposal infrastructure creates a clear route for future planning decisions for a geological disposal facility (GDF) and for deep boreholes that are necessary to characterise potential GDF sites. The NPS will be subjected to parliamentary scrutiny before it can be designated. The "Working with Communities" consultation is about how communities should be engaged and represented in the consent-based process of finding a site for a GDF. Both consultations closed on 19 April, and responses are currently being analysed. Formal responses will then be issued in due course. The formal process of engagement with communities can only start once the "Working with Communities" policy has been finalised.
Some aspects of the radioactive waste management policy are devolved to the national administrations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
In May 2015, the Welsh government adopted geological disposal as its policy for the long-term management of higher activity radioactive waste (HAW), joining the UK government-led programme together with the Northern Ireland administration. The Welsh government considers that geological disposal can only be delivered in Wales if a community is willing to host a GDF, and in December 2015 issued a further policy statement setting down outline arrangements for working with potential volunteer host communities. A further Welsh government consultation about detailed proposals for working with communities that might wish to discuss the possibility of hosting a GDF concluded in April 2018. Responses to this consultation will be considered before a further policy statement is issued later in the year.
The Scottish government is responsible for radioactive substance regulation in Scotland, and for the policy for radioactive waste management. Scotland has a separate policy for HAW from that of England and Wales. The Scottish government policy is that the long-term management of HAW should be in near-surface facilities. Facilities should be located as near to the site where the waste is produced as possible and be subject to robust regulatory requirements.
The Scottish government has made clear that it will not grant planning consent to any forthcoming proposal to build new NPPs in Scotland under current technologies, although it recognises that lifetime extensions for the pre-existing operational power plants could help maintain security of supply while the transition to renewable and alternative thermal generation takes place.
Decommissioning and clean-up of the UK's civil nuclear legacy in a safe, secure and cost effective manner that minimises environmental impact and the burden on taxpayers is a national priority. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), a non-departmental public body, is the body tasked by the UK government with the decommissioning and clean-up of 17 sites that represent the UK's civil nuclear legacy. The importance of the task is reflected in the NDA's funding, which has remained at approximately GBP 3 billion per year.
Source: Nuclear Energy Data 2018