Johnson plans for renewable and nuclear-only power by 2035
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson applauds during the annual Conservative party conference in Manchester, Britain, yesterday. Photo: REUTERS/Toby Melville
The UK will produce electricity only from renewable and nuclear sources by 2035 under plans set out by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government.
With the country grappling with a crisis that has driven natural gas and power prices to record highs and forced the collapse of a number of suppliers, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng announced plans to further cut Britain’s reliance on fossil fuels.
He told a conference of the ruling Conservative party yesterday that nuclear power has to be part of the solution in the UK energy mix.
Fossil fuel power generation in the UK has fallen to unprecedented low levels, as coal stations are shut down and investment in wind and solar power increases. More than half of the electricity now comes from low-carbon sources. But the country remains heavily reliant on gas, and Mr Kwarteng wants that share to reduce.
“What we’re saying is that by 2035 we won’t have any fossil fuels,” he said, referring to power production. “We’ll have removed gas hopefully, as well as coal.”
A bigger share of renewables and nuclear energy will also make the country less dependent on imports, Mr Johnson said.
“The advantage of that is that it will mean that, for the first time, the UK is not dependent on hydrocarbons coming from overseas with all the vagaries in hydrocarbon prices and the risk that poses for people’s pockets and for the consumer,” he said.
The Climate Change Committee, which advises the government on meeting its targets, said that gas use should not go unabated after 2035. That means the UK will need to step up its investment in carbon capture and storage technology.
Mr Kwarteng has promised to set out a strategy this month for how the UK will reach net-zero emissions by 2050. He’s also expected to unveil a long-awaited plan on how to decarbonise the country’s heat supply.
The UK says net zero will be hard to reach without nuclear power, but atomic stations are expensive and take years to build.
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