UNITED KINGDOM

Executive Summary

The United Kingdom has significant reserves of primary energy sources, namely coal, oil and natural gas,
but these reserves are declining. The UK became a net importer of natural gas again in 2004. Around
70% of UK’s total electricity generation is produced by conventional thermal, around 19% by nuclear, 1%
by hydropower, and 3% by renewables. The UK has 23 nuclear reactors generating around one fifth of its
electricity. Its first commercial nuclear power plant began operating in 1956. The UK's nuclear fleet is
nearing the end of its lifetime and some plants built in the 1940s and 1950s have already been shut
down. Half of the UK's 14 nuclear sites are due to be decommissioned by 2010, and by 2023 all but one
plant, Sizewell B, will have shut. The UK has ratified the Kyoto protocol and according to the EU burden-
sharing programme is committed to reducing emissions by 12% relative to 1990 levels over the period
2008-2012. The UK has also committed itself to moving towards a domestic goal of reducing CO2
emissions to 20% below their 1990 level by 2010. However the Department of Trade and Industry said in
an annual report published in July 2005 that CO2 emissions will only fall 14% below 1990 levels by 2010
at current production levels. Therefore the UK government has started an energy review to consider,
among other things, replacing the aging nuclear power plants by a new fleet to ensure security of supply
and curb CO2 emissions. On 11 July 2006, the British government’s energy review signalled the building
of a fleet of new nuclear power plants.

Security of supply

Net Imports 2003 Import dependency

30 200%
5 ,9 -
year-2003
145% 150%
12,1-

20
year-2002
19,9 100%
9 ,1 -

10 50% year-2001

1% 0%
1 6 ,8 -
M to e

0 0,19 year-2000
Solid fuels oil Gas -51% Electricity -50%
1 6 ,3 -

-7,03 year-1995
-10 -100%

-150%
2 ,8

year-1990
-20
-196% -200%
-26,92 -20 -15 -10 -5 0 5
-30 -250% %

Source: European Commission, DG Tren, 2005

The United Kingdom has significant reserves of primary energy sources. Extensive coal deposits occur
around the eastern and western edges of the Pennines, in South Wales, in the Midlands (Birmingham
area), and in the Scottish Central Lowlands. Easily accessible coal seams are, however largely
exhausted. Large deposits of petroleum and natural gas under the North Sea came into commercial
operation in 1975 and at present the United Kingdom is self sufficient in petroleum. According to Oil and
Gas Journal (OGJ), the UK had 4.5 billion barrels of proven crude oil reserves in 2005, the most of any
EU member country. However, the importance of oil to the UK economy has steadily declined over the
past two decades, with oil's contribution to total energy consumption falling from in 41 percent in 1980 to
36 percent in 2002. The UK has been a net exporter of crude oil since 1981; according to the British

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the largest destinations of crude oil exports in 2003 were the
United States (31 percent), the Netherlands (26 percent), France (16 percent), and Germany (14
percent). According to OGJ, the UK held an estimated 20.8 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven natural gas
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 UNITED KINGDOM
reserves in 2005, a 6 percent decline from the previous year. Since 1997, the UK has been a net
exporter of natural gas. However, as is the case with the country's oil reserves, most natural gas fields
have already reached a high degree of maturity, and the UK became a net importer of gas in 2004.
Around 70% of UK’s total electricity generation is produced by conventional thermal, around 19% by
nuclear, 1% by hydropower, and 3% by renewables. The UK has 23 nuclear reactors generating around
one fifth of its electricity. Its first commercial nuclear power plant began operating in 1956. UK’s electricity
grid is part of the Union for the Coordination of Transmission of Electricity (UCTE). The UK imports
electricity mainly from France.

Nuclear Policy

Electricity Mix 2003 Final Energy Consumption 2003

3% 1% 2% 3%
19%
22% 34% Coal Solid fuels
0%
Oil 42% Oil
Gas Gas
Nuclear Renewables
Renewables Electricity
Other Other
2%
34%
38%

Source: European Commission, DG Tren, 2005

Until 1980s, UK government policy was clearly to have nuclear energy providing an increasing proportion
of UK electricity, with reprocessing of spent fuel to recover fissile materials and increase the utilisation of
uranium. In 1995 a review of nuclear power was published as a white paper, confirming the
government’s commitment to it but stating that no public sector support for building new nuclear power
plants was granted. The nuclear generating plants apart from Magnox were transferred to the private
sector in 1996, under British Energy. The state-owned British Nuclear Fuel Ltd (BNFL) took ownership of
all the Magnox power stations as well as the UK fuel cycle facilities. BNFL bought Westinghouse and
other international nuclear engineering and services companies.

The government in 1995 determined that decommissioning should be undertaken as soon as reasonably
practicable, the rate of dismantling being determined by a variety of factors. All closure dates are end of
operational life according to their current licenses. British Energy has been granted a life extension on
Dungeness B to 2018. However, part of the long term problem in UK is that costs for decommissioning
gas-cooled reactors are much higher per unit of capacity than for light water reactors. This is due to the
large volume of material and the need to dispose of a lot of graphite moderator. Decommissioning waste
volumes per unit capacity for Magnox are ten times those for western light water reactors. A Nuclear
Decommissioning Authority1 (NDA) study published in August 2005 estimates that the cost of dismantling
and cleaning up Britain’s civil nuclear power stations and infrastructure will amount to at least £56 billion.
It shows however that costs involved are quantifiable and manageable. The UK's nuclear fleet is nearing
the end of its lifetime and some plants built in the 1940s and 1950s have already been shut down. Half of
the UK's 14 nuclear sites are due to be decommissioned by 2010 - and by 2023 all but one plant,
Sizewell B, will have shut. On 31 December 2006, the two oldest nuclear power plants in the world,

1
You can have access to NDA’s website at : http://www.nda.gov.uk
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 UNITED KINGDOM
Dungeness A in Kent and Sizewell A in Suffolk, were shut down not on safety grounds, but because they
are less efficient than their larger counterparts, and because a reprocessing plant at Sellafield, which is
necessary to make their spent fuel safe, is due to close in 2012.

The Energy White Paper of March 2003 states that the government will “keep the nuclear option open”
but does nothing to make new build likely. It also states another White Paper should be produced before
they do. Following the latest general election in May 2005, Tony Blair hinted at the possibility of building
a new fleet of nuclear plants. The Prime Minister then announced a review of the country’s energy policy
which would include all aspects including nuclear. Tony Blair confirmed on 29 November 2005 at the
Confederation of British Industry conference that the national energy policy statement due next year will
“include specifically the issue of a new generation of nuclear power stations.” On 11 July 2006, the
British government’s energy review signalled the building of a fleet of new nuclear power plants.

Commissioning date Planned closure date Electricity price for households 2004

Magnox reactors 25
Dungeness A 1965 2006
Oldbury-on-Severn 1968 2008
20
Sizewell A 1966 2006
Wylfa 1971 2010
15
€ p er K W h

AGRs
Dungeness B 1985 2008
10
Hartlepool 1984 2014
Heysham 1 1984 2014
Heysham 2 1988 2023 5
Hinkley Point B 1976 2011
Hunterston B 1977 2011
0
Torness 1989 2023
FI

IT
T

IE
CZ

PT

AT
HU
EL

PL

NL
LU
EE

UK

ES

CY

SE
BE
DE

DK
FR
25

M
EU

PWR country
Sizewell B 1995 2035
Source: European Commission, DG Tren, 2005
Source: NIA, 2005

Safety and Waste Management

The first plants were commissioned in 1950s. They were Magnox reactors, which use natural uranium
metal fuel, have a graphite moderator and are cooled with carbon dioxide. The Magnox units were
originally licensed for 30 years, but in some cases this was extended to 50 years. However on economic
grounds they will all be closed by 2010. The second generation is Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors
(AGR). 14 were built at seven sites, starting up 1976-89. The type is unique to UK. And yet each pair
was a unique design so there was little standardisation, and operational problems were significant. In
1995 a pressurized water reactor was built, which is newer than most PWRs in Western Europe.

The UK government had been advised since 1978 by its Radioactive Waste Management Advisory
Committee but this was replaced in 2004 by the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management

(CoRWM2), which is charged with again reviewing the options for long-term storage and disposal. Under
the 2004 Energy Act the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority was set up and funded. It is responsible for
cleaning up the UK’s legacy of nuclear wastes on 20 sites including 39 reactors, 5 fuel reprocessing

2
You can have access to the website of CoRWM at : http://www.corwm.org.uk/
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 UNITED KINGDOM
plants as well as other fuel cycle and research facilities. These were the responsibility of British Nuclear
Group (the decommissioning and clean-up arm of BNFL) and the UK Atomic Energy Authority3, and in
April 2005 NDA took over all designated liabilities and assets from those bodies.

Solid low-level wastes are disposed of in a 120 ha repository at Drigg in Cumbria, near Sellafield.
Intermediate-level waste is stored at Sellafield and other source sites pending disposal. High-level
wastes are stored at Sellafield. Some have been vitrified there, and are stored in stainless steel canisters
in silos. All HLW is to be stored for 50 years before disposal, to allow cooling.

Climate Change

CO2 per capita Share in CO2 emissions per capita 2003

UK's Kyoto target: 12% below 1990 level

30000 12%
10000
25000 10%
9800
20000 8%
9600
k g /c a p

15000 6%
kg/cap 9400

10000 4%
9200

9000 5000 2%

8800 0 0%
year-1990 year-1995 year-2000 year-2002 EU LV LT PT HU SE FR MT SK EL SL PL IT AT UK DE CY DK IE NL BE CZ EE ES FI LU
date countries

Source: European Commission, DG Tren, 2005

The UK has ratified the Kyoto protocol and according to the EU burden-sharing programme is committed
to reducing emissions by 12% relative to 1990 levels over the period 2008-2012. The UK has also
committed itself to moving towards a domestic goal of reducing CO2 emissions to 20% below their 1990
level by 2010. The UK Climate Change Programme was published in November 2000. It contains a
package of measures, which aim at meeting the UK’s Kyoto target and move towards our domestic goal.
A review of the UK Climate Change Programme began in Autumn 2004 and a revised programme was
published in the first half of 2005.The Energy White Paper, published in February 2003, defined four
goals for energy policy, the first of which was to put ourselves on a long term path to reduce the UK’s
CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050. In April 2004, “Energy Efficiency- The Government’s Plan for Action”
was published. The Emissions Trading Scheme forms a key part of the “Plan for Action” and promotes
the reduction of CO2 emissions without compromising the UK’s industrial competitiveness. Climate
change policy is under review and a new strategy on fossil fuel use is expected. The Department of
Trade and Industry said in an annual report published in July 2005 that CO2 emissions will only fall 14%
below 1990 levels by 2010 at current production levels, therefore missing the domestic target.

Public Acceptance
According to a survey conducted by Deloitte and Touche in November 20054, the majority of the UK
population (62%) would support an energy policy that combines increased renewable energy

3
You can have access to the website of UKAEA at: http://www.ukaea.org.uk
4
You can have access to the survey at :
http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/UK_EIU_NuclearSeriesSurveyResults_Nov05.pdf
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 UNITED KINGDOM
technologies with cautious nuclear build. In contrast, only one in three people, or 36%, say they support
the use of nuclear technology itself, suggesting that support for nuclear increases significantly when
there is some reassurance that it would not be in place of renewable sources.

Nuclear Fact Sheet

Number of units: 19*

Net generating capacity (MWe): 10982*
National generation (TWh): 378.4**
Nuclear Generation (TWh): 75.2**
Nuclear share: 20%**
* Figures after 31 December 2006
** 2005 figures

Source: IAEA, 2007

5 FORATOM - Country Profile: United Kingdom