Nuclear in the North will be needed as part of the transition to net zero
THE need to get the net zero transition right is just as important as getting it done quickly. Momentum behind net zero has already dropped with events such as the blackout across the Iberian peninsula leading to doubts being raised about the transition.
As Chris Hocknell writes in this newspaper today, the Government needs to “make the necessary grid upgrades before it’s too late”.
The country is in danger of speedrunning to energy disaster, if it doesn’t take a wider view of the transition to net zero.
It also needs to ensure a diverse energy mix so that Britain is not left exposed. That is why the country also needs nuclear power.
That is why the warning from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) that without new nuclear projects there will be no operational nuclear power plants in the North by 2030 should be a major cause for concern.
For 75 years, communities in the North have helped to power the country through nuclear generation. However, unless new projects are swiftly announced on existing nuclear sites, there will be no operational nuclear power plants in the north of England by 2030, according to the think-tank.
The Government has acknowledged the importance of nuclear to the energy mix and some of its activities have been promising. But it needs to set out plans for the North to continue playing an important part in the supply of nuclear energy.
Not only is it imperative for an energy security perspective but also one from an economic viewpoint. Nuclear power brings with it skilled jobs that will only stand the North in good stead.