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The UK government has said it will build a new Sizewell C nuclear plant on the Suffolk coast, pumping a considerable amount of cash into the project to get it off the ground.
A fresh commitment to nuclear power has been announced by the UK government ahead of its ‘Spending Review’ later this week.
According to a report by the BBC, over £14 billion will be pumped into the Sizewell C nuclear plant project, promising 10,000 direct new jobs, as well as several thousand more in firms. Enough energy will be generated to power six million homes.
Before anyone gets too excited, the Treasury has said that it will take over a decade to complete at the very least. Best wait to get the celebratory balloons out.
In a statement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said this was a ‘landmark decision’ that would boost economic growth.
Ed Miliband also commented that this move was part of a wider plan to push the country into a ‘golden age of clean energy.’
What’s the benefit of nuclear energy? According to the UK government, it is a way to provide a significant amount of low-carbon, non-intermittent energy, and will no doubt serve as a key aspect of the UK’s 2030 clean energy targets.
That’s not to say that building plants isn’t without risk, both in terms of safety and logistics.
The Hinkley Point C powerplant in Somerset, for example, is set to begin operations in the early 2030s, making it over a decade late and billions over budget.
Interestingly, nuclear power use in the UK has actually fallen since the 1990s.
Only 15% of the country’ energy is generated via nuclear, a 10% drop from thirty years ago. All aside from one currently operating plant are set to be decommissioned within five years.
Locals aren’t happy, either. Protests have taken place in Suffolk against the decision to build the Sizewell C plant.
