How Britain lost its independent expertise in nuclear power production
sir – In the 1960s, I worked for the industrial group of the UK Atomic Energy Authority. Its head, Sir Christopher Hinton, told staff that they would be subject to a pay freeze for five years. Many, myself included, left the authority, which thereafter was no longer at the forefront of developing atomic energy for industrial purposes.
The budget for the development programme, which concentrated on nuclear reactors for power generation, was slashed by the government of the day with no regard for the long-term implications that are now evident in our dependence on foreign resources (Leading Article, July 27).
Bert Wright
London W13
sir – British nuclear energy generation appears to rest in the hands of France and China. Moreover, gas reserves are at 29 per cent capacity, compared to more than 50 per cent at this time in 2019. Putin’s Russia has its hand firmly on the stopcock for the supply of gas to Europe, and China exerts influence over the supply, and price, of gas from the Far East (Ambrose Evanspritchard, Business, July 22).
The Government’s drive for net-zero emissions threatens our energy security and independence. A large increase in generating capacity will be needed to meet aspirations for electric domestic heating and motoring. (Solar, wind and hydroelectric supplies are not up to the task.) Without investment, Britain will find itself in energy poverty, and beholden to Russia and China.
There is a home-grown solution: small modular nuclear reactors (SMRS). A British consortium, led by Rollsroyce, proposes to generate up to 440 megawatts from each SMR, on a carbon footprint a tenth the size of a reactor site such as Sizewell. SMRS can be placed virtually anywhere and be operational within five years, instead of perhaps 20 years for a traditional gigawatt reactor. Economies of scale would soon reduce the cost of SMRS.
We are no longer constrained by EU procurement rules. All that remains is for this and future governments to act in our strategic interests.
Wg Cdr Steve Schollar (retd) Woodbridge, Suffolk
sir – All but one of Britain’s existing nuclear plants will come offline before the end of the decade. To avoid reversing the progress made in recent years towards a low-carbon future, it is critical to invest in gigawatt nuclear in order to generate reliable, nonintermittent British power.
Britain’s nuclear sector has been reinvigorated through Hinkley Point C and it is ready to build Sizewell C. Some 10,000 jobs at more than 200 companies involved in the Sizewell C consortium are at risk if construction does not go ahead.
The Government must end overreliance on energy imports by sticking to its gigawatt nuclear commitments and quickly find a funding mechanism that allows us to build Sizewell C. Cameron Gilmour
Vice-president, Doosan Babcock Renfrew