Britain plans to use nuclear energy to achieve a fossil-fuel-free grid by 2035 | Energy News

As the British government responds to climate change and energy supply tightening, by the middle of the next decade, fossil fuels will no longer be used for power generation.

In the plan to phase out natural gas by 2035, the UK will retain the key role of nuclear power in the national power system as a backup for renewable energy.

By the middle of the next decade, fossil fuels will no longer be used for power generation, because the United Kingdom responds to the dual threats of climate change and energy supply tightening. The energy supply tightening has caused prices to soar to historical highs. The government stated that the plan is “a landmark move to end the UK’s dependence on volatile fossil fuels.”

The scale of the task is huge. The UK still relies heavily on natural gas, which can meet 38% of its electricity demand. The government stated that nuclear energy is a key part of achieving net zero emissions, but because financing is a sticking point, plans for new projects are progressing slowly. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged in December last year to support at least one large nuclear project by 2025, and has negotiated with EDF for nearly 10 months in an attempt to finalize an agreement.

“The more I look at this, I think nuclear energy must be part of the solution,” said Commerce Minister Kwasi Kwarteng. “What we need to do in this country is to have a cheap and affordable system, something sustainable, something we can rely on ourselves, it can protect us from international price fluctuations.”

The UK has successfully reduced emissions through a bold move to phase out coal by 2024. This has stimulated investment in clean energy, and more than half of the electricity now comes from low-carbon energy. The country relies on natural gas especially in winter when demand is high, and will adjust up and down to meet intermittent renewable energy generation, while nuclear energy is not suitable for this role.

Matt Jones, chief power analyst for the European Union, said that as electrification promotes the decarbonization of other industries, electricity demand is expected to increase by at least one-third by 2035.

Jones said: “Although this is a positive commitment across the industry, it will be difficult to achieve unless we find a reliable and realistic plan to generate electricity without wind.”

Kwarteng has pledged to develop a strategy this month to help the UK achieve net zero emissions by 2050. He is also expected to announce a long-awaited plan on how to decarbonize the country’s heating supply.

EDF’s Hinkley Point C project will be completed in 2026, and the government is studying how to fund Sizewell C’s second project. The Johnson government is exploring ways to remove the state-owned developer China General Nuclear Power Group Co., Ltd. from all projects, complicating the discussion, according to Bloomberg’s July report on future projects in the UK.

The price of nuclear power plants is as high as 20 billion pounds (27.2 billion US dollars), which is an expensive option. The plan is to legislate as early as next month to establish a funding mechanism to stimulate the construction of new nuclear power plants to replace their aging reactors. The government said it will support large-scale projects as well as small and advanced modular reactors.