While Europe tries to reduce its dependence on Russian energy imports as the war in Ukraine continues, the British government said Thursday that it plans to use nuclear power to become energy independent.
The government's "British Energy Security Strategy" outlines goals to develop up to eight reactors this decade and seeks to increase the country's capacity to 24 gigawatts of nuclear power by 2050 – a quarter of the estimated demand for electricity.
There are also plans for more North Sea oil and gas projects and an expansion of offshore wind and solar power infrastructure.
"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," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
Britain announced last month that it would wean off Russian oil imports by the end of this year. Though Russian gas supplies weren't affected, prices for wholesale natural gas skyrocketed, even before Russia attacked Ukraine, hampering industrial production and draining household accounts.
According to The New York Times, British energy bills climbed 54% this month in most households and are expected to surge again in October due to still volatile energy prices.
"The simple truth is that the more cheap, clean power we generate within our borders, the less exposed we will be to eye-watering fossil fuel prices set by global markets we can't control," Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said.
The government's plan also includes a competition – worth up to £30 million or $39 million – to ramp up the production of British heat pumps, which reduce the demand for gas.
Industry groups and activists, however, criticized the plan, saying the energy strategy didn't address the problems people are facing now because of rising energy costs. More specifically, that the plan didn't mention increasing energy efficiency — particularly through housing insulation — or new targets for onshore wind.
This was "the perfect opportunity to set out a decade long plan to insulate people from volatile energy prices," Adam Scorer, the chief executive of National Energy Action, a fuel poverty charity, said in a statement. "It is silent on that crucial issue."
Others decried the government's goal of expanding oil and gas projects in the North Sea, while simultaneously codifying ambitious climate change initiatives.
The government said it hopes to make 95% of electricity "low carbon" by 2030, and that it would support domestic oil and gas in the "nearer term," to that end.
The Times reports that the government's plan for onshore wind capacity were drowned out by internal opposition in the governing Conservative Party.
The government also plans to work to develop partnerships with a limited number of communities that are willing to have wind turbines. A goal of increasing low-carbon hydrogen production capacity to 10 gigawatts by the end of the decade is also outlined in the plan.
"Replacing gas power with more nuclear power is lower carbon, but nuclear isn't renewable and it isn't cheap," Darren Jones, a Labour Party lawmaker and chair of the parliamentary committee with oversight of energy policy, said in a statement. "It's disappointing that the government has failed to seize the full opportunity of onshore wind and solar once again."
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