A Broader Vision for SMRs in the UK Energy Future

At the invitation of Acting Shadow Secretary of State, Andrew Bowie I was delighted to join a recent Whitehall roundtable, chaired by Malcolm Offord CVO, Minister for Energy Security & Net Zero where we discussed SMR deployment. I was in excellent company with the nation’s nuclear titans. It’s too easy to think simply when considering the role of SMRs in the UK’s energy network – they can provide much more that electricity to grid, though that is also important.

In my previous ministerial role I was responsible for transport decarbonisation, I led on the Transport Decarbonisation Plan & Jet Zero & learned of the acute challenges we face in shifting heavy transport; the planes, trucks, trains & cargo boats across our networks in a world where diesel, kerosene & bunker fuel will be reduced over time. Producing alternative fuels sustainably, abundantly & affordably will be key & as we go back in history, Britain has prospered when energy abundance has been achieved by the extraction of coal or the exploration of oil, though this has been at great cost to our planet.

Nuclear energy offers the solution to many of society’s great challenges, to list a few:

   Highly respected, well-paid apprenticeships & jobs, especially in areas outside of London & the South East.

   Producing always on, reliable baseload power.

   Hailing from tried, tested, trusted & proven technology which can be deployed almost anywhere on Earth, across the seasons & whatever the weather

   Compliments renewable energy generation & provides energy security & sovereignty.

SMRs tick all the above AND offer the additional bonuses of being more easily repeatable and potentially locatable closer to power guzzling industries and/or hooked up to electrolysers to convert water to hydrogen or deployed to produce the alternative to kerosene, Sustainable Aviation Fuel or even to run desalination plants – a topical subject as we endure an ongoing lack of rain in some parts of the UK.

Our discussion focussed on the unique flexibility of SMRs, the UK’s heritage, prowess, policies and the fact we should be in pole position to proceed. Passion, frustration and intelligent debate ensued with all of us agreeing Whitehall must not be allowed to cause delays, as the prize for energy abundance is far too important.

SHARE