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'Build baby build', says Keir Starmer as he sets out nuclear plan (www.bbc.co.uk)

submitted 3 weeks ago by solarpunkandrobots@feddit.uk to c/uk_politics@feddit.uk

23 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Interesting gamble the government is taking here. Unusually the environmentalists are right to be cautious, SMRs have been designed since the 90s and not a one of them has ever come to anything.

Also not completely sure why we'd need it. By the governments own plans we can expect our wind power to jump from 10gw to 50gw by 2035, which would mean being 100% renewable powered for months at a time.

Which will make it very very expensive, the research I've seen recently says nations that manage that transition can expect electric price falls of a quarter to a half, and that Hinckley plant is already going to be selling at over twice the unit price of any other source. I would expect SMR plans to collapse for that reason by itself.

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[–] sabreW4K3@lazysoci.al 4 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

The rest of the world are about to go all in on geothermal and we're just about to start going in on the stop-gap solution. I wish Starmer had more imagination, we could be world leaders in geothermal and that would generate revenue for decades.

[–] IcePee@lemmy.beru.co 10 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

If we are talking mononuclear renewables, I understand that the UK is in an enviable position regarding wind, being one of, if not, the windiest nations in Europe. If I haven't misremembered maybe we should prioritise wind generation. Leave geothermal to places like Iceland, or maybe the nations around the Pacific Rim.

[–] sabreW4K3@lazysoci.al 2 points 3 weeks ago

Wind is intermittent. Why can't we go all in on wind AND geothermal?

[–] bob@feddit.uk 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Why is it stop-gap?

[–] sabreW4K3@lazysoci.al 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Because nuclear isn't a long-term solution. It shifts problems down the line. Geothermal on the other hand is a clean and neverending resource.

[–] bob@feddit.uk 2 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Right, but you haven't really answered the question. Why isn't it a long term solution? Sure geothermal is great, but there's space for both, amongst others.

[–] wewbull@feddit.uk 2 points 3 weeks ago

Uranium supplies aren't particularly abundant, and make you reliant on the same old superpowers.

[–] sabreW4K3@lazysoci.al 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Nuclear creates waste that we can't dispose of

[–] bob@feddit.uk 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Sure nuclear waste is a problem, but there are ways to dispose of it. I can't see why it can't be a long term solution.

There's problems and solutions for every type of energy production.