U.K. Government Report Says Nuclear Power Should Provide 35-40% of Country's Electricity Beyond 2030

The U.K. government says that from an aspirational perspective, the country should generate 35-40 percent of its electricity by 2030 from nuclear power.

The potential target, set forth in a report, "Energy Security: A National Challenge in a Changing World," commissioned by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, noted that by 2020 the U.K. will import between 45 and 80 percent of its gas.

Malcolm Wicks, member of parliament and the prime minister's special representative on international energy issues, said, "Complete energy Independence is an unrealistic goal, but there is much we can do to insulate ourselves from the risks, in large part by driving climate policies even further, quicker. We must be far smarter with the energy we use and invest in home grown energy sources, such as new nuclear and renewables without delay."

Today the U.K. generates about 15 percent of its electricity from nuclear power.

The opposition Conservative Party cautioned, however, that the government was in effect leading nuclear power firms to seek development subsidies. Shadow energy minister Charles Hendry said, "If you set an aspiration like that, the danger is that the industry will say, 'If you want that, we have to have a subsidy," according to the Financial Times ("Tories Warn on Nuclear Power Plans," Aug. 5, 2009).

For an interesting look at the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority perspective on nuclear power in Britain, click here to see an interview on E&ETV with Lady Barbara Judge, the authority's chair.