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The Fall and Rise of Nuclear Power in Britain: A history
The story of the rise, fall and second ascendancy of nuclear power in the United Kingdom.
Britain was a pioneer in civil nuclear power and there were once high hopes in the 1950s that this could be a source of cheap electricity and a valuable export opportunity. In The Fall and Rise of Nuclear Power in Britain , Simon Taylor examines why these hopes were never realised, and how we have come to see a new rise in nuclear power in recent years. He traces the UK's nuclear energy history, from the optimism of the 1950s, through the disillusionment of the 1980s, to a new role for nuclear in the 21st century.
The construction of Britain's first new nuclear power station in 20 years, Hinkley Point C, marks a major change of policy. Throughout this book, Taylor provides a comprehensive overview of energy policy, economics, politics and changing environmental priorities, keying into debates about the generation and sustainability of this controversial energy source.
Will this new nuclear energy turn out to be a heroic story of UK leadership on a matter of global importance, or will it prove a hugely costly folly, as with British nuclear power in the past?
Britain was a pioneer in civil nuclear power and there were once high hopes in the 1950s that this could be a source of cheap electricity and a valuable export opportunity. In The Fall and Rise of Nuclear Power in Britain , Simon Taylor examines why these hopes were never realised, and how we have come to see a new rise in nuclear power in recent years. He traces the UK's nuclear energy history, from the optimism of the 1950s, through the disillusionment of the 1980s, to a new role for nuclear in the 21st century.
The construction of Britain's first new nuclear power station in 20 years, Hinkley Point C, marks a major change of policy. Throughout this book, Taylor provides a comprehensive overview of energy policy, economics, politics and changing environmental priorities, keying into debates about the generation and sustainability of this controversial energy source.
Will this new nuclear energy turn out to be a heroic story of UK leadership on a matter of global importance, or will it prove a hugely costly folly, as with British nuclear power in the past?
256 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 25, 2024
Incredibly clear and concise.
Key lessons:
- take obvious path most of the time (don’t try and develop fancy reactors if AP1000 basically works)
- foster and maintain indigenous capability where it exists. Sensibly try to develop it where it does not.
- don’t let perfect be enemy of good (commit to programme even if option value of waiting for extra £1 NPV)
- need to create whole system that supports goals; HMT held to account for delivering projects, not just VfM. Planning system and regulators must be properly staffed and set up efficiently.
- energy getting more expensive; HPC clearly brilliant deal now but 2016 people much more worried.
- doing projects is hard; none of expected projects described in book made it to FID
- energy security trumps all other considerations
Key lessons:
- take obvious path most of the time (don’t try and develop fancy reactors if AP1000 basically works)
- foster and maintain indigenous capability where it exists. Sensibly try to develop it where it does not.
- don’t let perfect be enemy of good (commit to programme even if option value of waiting for extra £1 NPV)
- need to create whole system that supports goals; HMT held to account for delivering projects, not just VfM. Planning system and regulators must be properly staffed and set up efficiently.
- energy getting more expensive; HPC clearly brilliant deal now but 2016 people much more worried.
- doing projects is hard; none of expected projects described in book made it to FID
- energy security trumps all other considerations
February 20, 2016
Very precise narrative of the nuclear power industry in the UK from its fast-track progress in the 1950s to uncertainty in the 1970s, and how that led to a renewed interest when the Climate Change Act became law in 2008. Uncluttered, considered, tone works well for this topic.
August 14, 2024
A worthy scene-setter, especially for someone relatively ignorant of nuclear energy like me, but now a little out of date.
From 1945 to 2015 the UK nuclear industry thrived and failed, it was discarded and encouraged, lambasted and heralded. This book by Simon Taylor presents these ups and downs in clear language, never getting too complex when explaining either the workings of a power plant nor the financial practices used to build and run one (though I did consistently have to refer to the glossary when it came to acronyms). Scientists may well be disappointed but, for novices like me, it’s to its credit.
Politicos wanting to view this issue through an ideological lens are also set for a let-down. It is a factual book that only offers views so evidenced that they are, in essence, indisputable: for instance, nuclear power in Britain needs state support and that the 2008 Climate Change Act has transformed energy policy in the UK. Of course, this makes the style somewhat dry but with its largely sky-blue front cover and dense description, it never claims to be anything else; and the juicy subject matter makes up for it.
However, there are fundamental issues that come with this lack of criticism, not least that by the end it’s all too easy to see the fall and rise of nuclear power in the UK as an inevitable series of events and decisions. Britain’s own attempt at a reactor was always destined to fail…the industry would always have declined with the privatisation programme in the eighties…it was unavoidable that it would be adopted once again once climate change had been accepted.
Where Taylor is critical in his analysis it is both more interesting and, indeed, instructive, and as such the chapter on the 2011 Fukushima incident is a standout; something which he blames largely on Japan’s secretive practices. This though – much like the incident – is an exception rather than a rule and for the most part it limits itself to the basic narrative and facts, some of which are now out of date; Brexit, a growth in anti-China sentiment and the increasing alarm about the environmental state of the world surely having had major consequences.
It provides a basic background, just don’t expect much more.
From 1945 to 2015 the UK nuclear industry thrived and failed, it was discarded and encouraged, lambasted and heralded. This book by Simon Taylor presents these ups and downs in clear language, never getting too complex when explaining either the workings of a power plant nor the financial practices used to build and run one (though I did consistently have to refer to the glossary when it came to acronyms). Scientists may well be disappointed but, for novices like me, it’s to its credit.
Politicos wanting to view this issue through an ideological lens are also set for a let-down. It is a factual book that only offers views so evidenced that they are, in essence, indisputable: for instance, nuclear power in Britain needs state support and that the 2008 Climate Change Act has transformed energy policy in the UK. Of course, this makes the style somewhat dry but with its largely sky-blue front cover and dense description, it never claims to be anything else; and the juicy subject matter makes up for it.
However, there are fundamental issues that come with this lack of criticism, not least that by the end it’s all too easy to see the fall and rise of nuclear power in the UK as an inevitable series of events and decisions. Britain’s own attempt at a reactor was always destined to fail…the industry would always have declined with the privatisation programme in the eighties…it was unavoidable that it would be adopted once again once climate change had been accepted.
Where Taylor is critical in his analysis it is both more interesting and, indeed, instructive, and as such the chapter on the 2011 Fukushima incident is a standout; something which he blames largely on Japan’s secretive practices. This though – much like the incident – is an exception rather than a rule and for the most part it limits itself to the basic narrative and facts, some of which are now out of date; Brexit, a growth in anti-China sentiment and the increasing alarm about the environmental state of the world surely having had major consequences.
It provides a basic background, just don’t expect much more.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews