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The Nuclear Energy Construction Programme report
provides a comprehensive and easy to use review of the nuclear
energy sector, assessing the scale, timing and procurement processes
for the construction of new facilities over the next 10-15 years.
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Historically, the UK has met
most of its energy needs from domestic sources of coal, and, since the
1970s, oil and gas from the North Sea. Since the 1950s, nuclear power has
generated a significant proportion of electricity, reaching a peak of
nearly 30% of electricity output in the 1990s, though this has declined to
around 15% as illustrated in the chart. Over the past decade, nuclear
power met about one-fifth of the UK’s electricity needs. The UK currently
has 19 operating nuclear reactors at 10 power stations, which, if
operating to full capacity, have the potential to provide around 20% of
the electricity in the UK and around 3.5% of total UK energy use.
Many nuclear power stations are
now too old to continue to operate efficiently and safely and are
currently undergoing a programme of decommissioning. No new nuclear power
stations have been built in the UK since 1994 and most existing reactors
are scheduled to close in the next 20 years, which will leave the Country
heavily reliant on increasingly expensive and scarce supplies of oil and
gas and renewable sources of energy to replace nuclear power production
and relieve the UK’s reliance on fossil-fuels.
In January 2008, the Government
gave the go-ahead for a new generation of nuclear power stations, which
will provide “clean, secure and affordable energy” that is vital in
tackling climate change and securing the UK’s future energy supplies.
The decision by the Government
to support a nuclear new-build programme has made the nuclear sector the
potential to be the fastest growing construction market and created a wide
range of construction opportunities. The Government has not given any
official figures for the cost of the programme, but with 10-12 new
reactors expected to be built at a cost of around £1.5 – £2 billion each,
the total costs of the Programme if all reactors are built could be in the
region of between £15-25 billion. The earliest of these new reactors could
begin on site by 2013 and by 2020 several plants could be in operation,
though these dates are subject to slippage given the controversy of the
decision.
The report reviews the key
issues affecting the nuclear new-build programme including the estimated
costs and timetable for construction, key players involved and an analysis
of the four reactor designs already submitted for approval. With nuclear
energy back on the Government’s agenda, the report also explores the
market opportunities ahead for the construction industry and the wider
supply chain.
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