Plans to make the UK energy self-sufficient and accelerate its journey to net zero carbon emissions are due to be announced later this month, Rishi Sunak revealed.
In the next three weeks, the government will unveil an “Energy Security Strategy” that will include the development of small nuclear reactors that can be built much faster than conventional power plants.
The development of carbon capture technologies to remove and store the CO2 produced by industry and energy producers is also proposed. This has the potential to bring net emissions to zero, even if some polluting fuels continue to be used.
Britain’s reliance on the global energy grid was exposed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, which sent natural gas prices skyrocketing.
Ministers pledged to act to produce more electricity within the UK and to give the green light to further exploration for gas and oil in the North Sea.
The UK is already a world leader in offshore wind, but current planning legislation effectively bans onshore wind.
During a trip to California, Sunak said: especially.
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“In the near future, our Energy Security Strategy will outline approaches in other areas that we have been discussing, such as carbon capture and storage and small modular nuclear reactors.
“We are confident that the move to net zero will continue to create a very vibrant set of businesses and jobs in the UK and our track record shows that we know how to do this and how to do it right. Everyone should be convinced that there is.”
Prime Minister Jeremy Hunt has pledged £20bn in carbon capture over the next 20 years, but the technology is currently unproven.
Some experts wonder whether small modular reactors can prove to be an effective method of generating large amounts of nuclear power. The government is believed to be pressuring large industrial companies to sign up to build multiple reactors in order to take advantage of economies of scale.
Sam Richards of campaign group Britain Remade said: It hinders clean energy infrastructure such as onshore wind power, which is the cheapest form of energy available. ”
