{"id":31173,"date":"2016-09-15T19:43:10","date_gmt":"2016-09-15T18:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/?p=31173"},"modified":"2016-09-16T08:46:01","modified_gmt":"2016-09-16T07:46:01","slug":"uk-nuclear-gamble-illustrates-climate-fight-complexity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2016\/09\/15\/uk-nuclear-gamble-illustrates-climate-fight-complexity\/","title":{"rendered":"Atomic politics: UK mends China links with Hinkley deal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today the UK approved a new \u00a318 billion nuclear power plant which the government says will supply 7% of the country\u2019s\u00a0electricity needs for 60 years.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Financed by the French and Chinese governments and to be built by French state-controlled energy company EDF, the Hinkley C power plant has been the subject of fierce debate in the UK.<\/p>\n

Critics say the new plant will be an expensive “white elephant<\/a>”\u00a0and is unsuited to a fast-developing energy sector where cheaper renewables, flexible demand management and tech-driven efficiency measures will reign.<\/p>\n

Supporters argue the UK needs a guaranteed source of low carbon base-load power<\/a> to fill a gap left by a planned phaseout of coal by 2025, and the closure of other nuclear plants.<\/p>\n

The government says it\u2019s essential to keep the UK on course to meet a legally binding goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 80% on 1990 levels by 2050.<\/p>\n

So what’s the skinny? Simon Evans at Carbon Brief offers a nuts n’ bolts look at the deal in this article<\/a>. Below is a taster of how the decision has gone down among domestic experts and international observers.<\/p>\n

First off the market – and judging by initial\u00a0reactions, it’s\u00a0not convinced…<\/p>\n

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Oh… pic.twitter.com\/XfChFb6KrH<\/a><\/p>\n

— Leo Hickman (@LeoHickman) September 15, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n