{"id":30710,"date":"2016-07-27T14:16:15","date_gmt":"2016-07-27T13:16:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/?p=30710"},"modified":"2016-07-27T14:16:15","modified_gmt":"2016-07-27T13:16:15","slug":"could-every-uk-town-have-a-small-nuclear-reactor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2016\/07\/27\/could-every-uk-town-have-a-small-nuclear-reactor\/","title":{"rendered":"Could every UK town have a small nuclear reactor?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The nuclear industry sees the UK as a springboard for its plans to expand in the next 20 years, especially as a pioneer in the deployment of a new breed of small reactors.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite the UK referendum vote to leave the European Union<\/a>, the industry is confident that many small reactors will be built in Britain and that the country will become a showcase for the industry and an exporter of the technology.<\/p>\n

The ideal is for each town to have its own reactor.<\/p>\n

The government-owned National Nuclear Laboratory<\/a>\u00a0says the industry worldwide will be worth \u00a3400 billion by 2035, and much of the development and new build will be in Britain. In a Nuclear Energy Insider<\/a> poll,\u00a0almost 70% of those in the nuclear industry thought this figure was realistic.<\/p>\n

Although the UK government under a newly-appointed prime minister is still encouraging the French, Chinese, Japanese and US companies to build 10 giant new nuclear power stations of 1,000 megawatts or more, it is also running a competition to find the best small-scale reactor design and is investing \u00a3250 million in research and development of reactors of about 30 megawatts or less.<\/p>\n

Weekly briefing:<\/strong> Sign up for your essential climate politics update<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

More than 80% of the nuclear industry regard this as a significant step towards making the UK a centre for this technology, but want yet more help.<\/p>\n

They want fast-track licensing for the new designs, reduced regulation, and a government-financed campaign to convince the public that small modular reactors are the future for energy.<\/p>\n

They also ask that the \u201cgovernment change the public negative mindset to nuclear\u201d and \u201cstop putting money into unreliable renewable forms of energy\u201d.<\/p>\n

This and the suggestion of \u201ca level playing field between energy sources by phasing out subsidies\u201d may amuse anti-nuclear lobbyists. They complain it is the subsidies to the nuclear industry in free state insurance, policing, research funding, and waste disposal that should be scrapped.<\/p>\n

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Hinkley nuclear plant will be most expensive object on earth. Tell the UK Gov we want renewable energy instead https:\/\/t.co\/LppiEi0JcD<\/a><\/p>\n

— Bryan Adams (@bryanadams) July 25, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n