The UK Government has announced how it intends to 'take back control' of energy prices amid soaring costs. It has published a British Energy Security Strategy sets out how Britain will accelerate the deployment of wind, new nuclear, solar and hydrogen energy which could see 95% of electricity being low carbon by 2030.
Boris Johnson said the strategy, including new nuclear and offshore wind plans, would reduce the UK’s dependence on foreign sources of energy. There has been particular worldwide concern about the reliance on Russian oil and gas since the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Rising energy prices have contributed to the cost-of-living crisis, with the average family’s energy bill increasing by 54%. The energy price cap has been raised to £1,971 and a further increase is expected later this year. See nine things you can do to cut your energy bills right now.
Prime Minister Mr Johnson said: “We’re setting out bold plans to scale up and accelerate affordable, clean and secure energy made in Britain, for Britain, from new nuclear to offshore wind, in the decade ahead. This will reduce our dependence on power sources exposed to volatile international prices we cannot control, so we can enjoy greater energy self-sufficiency with cheaper bills.”
In Wales, the Government's plan to boost nuclear power is likely to be one of the most significant developments with the strategy also confirming the intention to push ahead with a nuclear project at the Wylfa site in Anglesey.
A new nuclear power station (or two) for Wales
Under the Government’s fresh plans a new body, Great British Nuclear, will be launched to push the UK’s nuclear capacity with the hope of up to 24 gigawatts (GW) of electricity by 2050 coming from the source of power, 25 per cent of the projected electricity demand. It is hoped the focus on nuclear will deliver up to eight reactors, equivalent to one reactor a year instead of one a decade.
In big news for Wales, the strategy also confirmed the intention to push ahead with a nuclear project at the Wylfa site in Anglesey. Previous attempts to develop a new nuclear plant on Anglesey have collapsed and engineers have been decommissioning the former power station at Wylfa, which closed seven years ago.
Plans to build a second power station at the site were halted in early 2019. Earlier this year Rolls Royce confirmed it was interested in building a network of mini-reactors on the site. Now, the new strategy says the UK Government will "immediately begin work to secure access to the sites" that are being considered for the new reactors. The government will launch a £120m Future Nuclear Enabling Fund this month to facilitate this.
The Wylfa site has been named as a candidate to host either large-scale plants, smaller modular nuclear reactors, or possibly both. Alongside the Anglesey site, a smaller former nuclear power station site at Trawsfynydd near Blaenau Ffestiniog is also reported to be in the running for one of these reactors. Subject to technology readiness from industry, Small Modular Reactors will form a key part of the nuclear project pipeline.
In July, 2020, Trawsfynydd was chosen to be part of a decommissioning programme which will see its twin reactors fully demolished while a new low-level radioactive waste store is built on the site to hold the material. However this looks as though it could be reversed under this new strategy. The full history of the Wylfa and Trawsfynydd sites can be found here.
UK Government said: "We will work to progress a series of projects as soon as possible this decade, including Wylfa site in Anglesey. This could mean delivering up to eight reactors, equivalent to one reactor a year instead of one a decade, accelerating nuclear in Britain."
Giant offshore windfarms
On offshore wind, the plan outlines the ambition of producing up to 50GW of energy by 2030, which the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) said would be more than enough to power every home in the UK. Some 5GW should come from floating offshore wind in deeper seas and planning reforms will slash approval times for new wind farms from four years to one year.
It is thought a major crunch point in the strategy, and one of the reasons its launch has been delayed, is wrangling over onshore wind farms. Several ministers have aired views backing the development of new oil and gas, but not onshore wind, which is one of the cheapest forms of electricity, along with solar.
The Government said it would be “consulting on developing partnerships with a limited number of supportive communities who wish to host new onshore wind infrastructure in return for guaranteed lower energy bills”.
Higher targets for how much electricity is generated by offshore windfarms could lead to more of the farms being built off the Welsh coast. Enough energy to power every home in the UK - is being aimed for by 2030 - with 5GW of that to come from new floating windfarms.
The government aims to reform planning laws to speed up approvals for new offshore wind farms. For onshore wind farms it wants to develop partnerships with "supportive communities" who want to host turbines in exchange for guaranteed cheaper energy bills.
There are currently three operational offshore wind farms off the North Wales coast: Gwynt y Mor, Rhyl Flats and North Hoyle as well as transmission cables from nearby developments.
Saurabh Shah of Falck Renewables, one of a number of companies working on plans for new windfarms in the Celtic Sea off Pembrokeshire, said new targets would help attract investors.
He told the BBC, "There is a growth story here for Wales," he said. "You start with these projects that will be among the first in the world at this stage and that will create future potential export opportunities."
The strategy says: "Our island’s resources, with its shallow seabeds and high winds offers us unique advantages that have made us global leaders in offshore wind and pioneers of floating wind.
On onshore wind, the strategy set out by the UK Government says it will "support the work underway by the Welsh Government, Ofgem, and networks to improve grid connections."
Tidal power
There is little reference to tidal power in the strategy other than the government saying they will "aggressively explore" the potential opportunities. No energy-generating lagoons or barrages have been built in Wales or the UK.
There are plans to look again at a Severn Barrage which would generate 10% of the UK's electricity needs. But this is not mentioned in the report. Neither is there reference to plans revealed earlier this week for a £7bn tidal lagoon that 'could create 22,000 jobs and power every home in Wales'. The enormous lagoon, which would stretch between Prestatyn and Llandudno, would take five years of planning alone but estimates say it could generate £500m a year for 120 years. An economic impact assessment by Wrexham’s Glyndwr University predicted the project would generate an additional 22,000 jobs.
Denbighshire councillors recently voted in favour of a motion to back the scheme in principle, while Conwy Council has set up a task and finish group to look at the options. North Wales Tidal Energy is now lobbying both the Welsh and UK Governments for funding. Any such project, though, would be considered a National Strategic Infrastructure project, meaning UK Government would have the final say, NorthWalesLive reports.
Former High Sheriff of Clwyd Henry Dixon is the chairman of North Wales Tidal Energy, which was set up in 2014. He said: "I think the North Wales Economic Ambition Board is considering adopting [the project] the way that Denbighshire and Conwy have adopted it, the way that MPs have adopted it. We just need to get the Welsh Government and the British government to help with the funding to get it going.
"Once we are up and running then we can answer all the questions and concerns people have got and we can get this thing built, which will be truly transformational for north Wales. The lagoon will generate enough electricity for every home in Wales.
"In a year it will generate five tera-watt hours, which is enough for a million homes. I’m not saying it will just be Wales’ electricity but I’m trying to put it on a scale that will be useful.”
