Can smaller reactors make nuclear power economic?
Rolls-Royce—and Britain’s government—hope so
BRITAIN IS keen on nuclear power—in theory, at least. In 2010 the government gave permission for eight new reactors to be built in England and Wales, as part of its efforts to decarbonise electricity generation. Things have proved harder in practice. A decade later only one—at Hinkley Point on the Somerset coast (pictured)—is being built. It is late and over budget. Construction only began at all because in 2013 ministers committed consumers to paying EDF, the French firm building the plant, a fixed price far above the going rate for its electricity for the first 35 years.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “This time, it’s different”
Britain November 13th 2021
- Can smaller reactors make nuclear power economic?
- Britons want to prevent climate change, but favour expensive solutions
- The Northern Ireland protocol is under threat. Again
- London’s bridges are falling down
- Voters do not want MPs to profit from their job
- Which products are scarce on Britain’s shelves?
- Britain used to treat her dead soldiers with disdain. One man changed that
- How Boris Johnson’s failure to tackle sleaze among MPs could prove costly
From the November 13th 2021 edition
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