15 March (NucNet): The UK should rely on nuclear energy not offshore wind power to meet its electricity needs without spending too much money, a former chief scientist has suggested.
Professor David King says in a report published today by the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University that if the UK is going to “go down the decarbonisation route” there is an enormous challenge in meeting electricity demand, particularly with the increased use of electricity in transport and possibly heating.
But he said the UK could not rely on offshore wind, in which the government is investing billions of pounds. He said the huge turbines are expensive to install and difficult to maintain out at sea.
“If we went all the way attempting to provide the energy we need with offshore wind I believe the costs to the UK taxpayer would be simply phenomenal. They are extremely expensive to install and expensive to maintain.”
At the moment the UK has 568 wind turbines offshore and 665 in construction. Ultimately the government wants up to 25,000.
Mr King, chief scientist under Tony Blair, said oil and gas prices are likely to go up and both oil and gas could become more difficult to get hold of because of political instability.
He said a certain amount of energy will come from some onshore and offshore wind, solar and microgeneration technologies for buildings, such as ground source heat pumps.
But the UK should also build a new fleet of nuclear power plants and use spent nuclear fuel that is already in storage at Sellafield in Cumbria.
Mr King also called on the government to set up an independent body to evaluate and advise on long-term nuclear strategy, R&D and structural options for the nuclear industry. “What it is can be debated elsewhere, that it is required seems to be self-evident,” he said.
The current proposals for new nuclear reactors will be no more than sufficient in replacing the current fleet, the report says. “Substantial additional decarbonisation will require clear policies to make it happen, in nuclear and other low carbon energy markets.”
If the UK is serious about developing a world leading capability in low carbon energy supply, it needs to develop a long term strategy encompassing both nuclear reactors and the nuclear fuel cycle, the report concludes.
The report is online:
http://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Towards-a-low-carbon-pathway-for-the-UK-report-march-2012.pdf
