Great British Energy Bill

Committee (1st Day) (Continued)

Amendment 21

21: Clause 3, page 2, line 18 at end insert— “(e) the production of nuclear energy.”Member’s explanatory statement This would amend Great British Energy’s objects to include the production of nuclear energy.

My Lords, Amendment 21 is in my name. The UK led the world, becoming the first country to split the atom. This was followed in 1956 by the world’s first nuclear programme and a nuclear power station at Calder Hall—Windscale. At its peak in the 1990s, the UK generated approximately 13 gigawatts of power from nuclear energy, but this has slipped to around six gigawatts today. This story of decline stands in stark contrast to our modern understanding of nuclear power as the only current form of reliable, secure, low-carbon electricity which can be deployed at scale in the UK and therefore has to be considered a key component in the drive for net zero.

In January this year the previous Government published their policy paper, Civil Nuclear: Roadmap to 2050, and this was considered vital so that nuclear could offer the reliable, resilient and low-carbon power we need to reach net zero by 2050 and ensure our energy security so that we are never again dependent on the likes of Putin. Many other nations, including the USA and France, have endorsed a net-zero nuclear declaration which calls for a global tripling of nuclear energy by 2050.

Global energy is increasingly based around electricity. That means that the key to making energy systems clean is to turn the electricity sector from being the largest producer of CO₂ emissions into a low-carbon source that reduces fossil fuel emissions in areas such as transport, heating and industry. While renewables are expected to continue to lead, nuclear power can also play an important part, along with fossil fuels, using carbon capture, utilisation and storage, and indeed the removal of flaring, turning our hydrocarbon fields into the greenest in the world. Countries envisaging a future role for nuclear account for the bulk of global energy demand and CO₂ emissions, but to achieve a trajectory consistent with sustainability targets, including international climate goals, the expansion of clean electricity would need to be three times faster than at present. It would require 85% of global energy to come from clean sources by 2040, compared with just 36% today. Along with massive investments in efficiency and renewables, the trajectory would need an 80% increase in global nuclear power production by 2040.

We recognise the importance of renewables in achieving net-zero goals. However, going for a 100% renewable energy scenario represents a considerable gamble, especially given that grid balancing and storage technologies are still relatively nascent. One of the most pressing concerns is that solutions to renewables’ inherent variability fail to materialise quickly enough, and Britain either has to live with constraints and interruptions to its energy supply—an economic no-no—or pivot back towards an energy mix of yesteryear, reliant on fossil-fuelled power plants to provide a dependable baseload of electricity, albeit at a great environmental cost. If this were to transpire, the UK would seriously risk reneging on its 2050 net-zero target.

My Lords, I must inform the House that if Amendment 21 is agreed to, I cannot call Amendment 24 for reasons of pre-emption.

I draw attention to my interests as outlined in the register and thank my noble friend for introducing this amendment. His insights underline the importance of collaboration as we address the dual challenges of energy security and achieving net-zero carbon emissions.

The amendment would build on prior commitments and take the steps needed to ensure that nuclear energy plays a full role in our energy mix. The amendment is not a new initiative but an essential next step in fulfilling the Government’s stated commitments to nuclear energy. It would ensure that we moved from exploration and consideration to concrete action in facilitating, encouraging and participating in the production of nuclear energy. By accepting it, we can bridge the gap between aspiration, implementation and participating in the production of nuclear energy.

The Government have already acknowledged the importance of nuclear energy, but acknowledgement alone will not suffice. There must be a tangible, unequivocal commitment to its production. This includes setting clear targets for both large-scale nuclear reactors and, more importantly, small and advanced modular reactors. A stronger commitment sends a signal to investors, developers and the broader energy sector that the UK is serious about leading the world in advanced nuclear technology.

Public investment is critical to establishing a foundation for nuclear development, but, equally, we must incentivise private sector involvement. This requires the Government to offer meaningful incentives, loan guarantees, tax breaks or grants so that private investors see nuclear as a viable and profitable area to support. Such a strategy will not only unlock funding but drive innovation, reduce costs and bring nuclear projects online faster.

My Lords, I will speak very quickly in support of my noble friend Lord Offord. Nuclear fuel is very much a positive, as it is a baseload generator, which to me is critical. That is what we are short of in this country. Unfortunately, wind, solar, whatever, are not always with us. The excess that is produced by wind and solar when they are actively working, which is fantastic, could then be used to drive hydrogen production—we have touched very briefly on that in this House this afternoon. Hydrogen is the clean fuel of the future, possibly the cleanest; but we need to be able to store and then burn it, in times of need, to generate the electricity that will reduce our dependence on gas generation, particularly, which I know we are all in favour of. I just wanted to add that to this small debate, knowing that nuclear reactors are also most useful for data centres.

My Lords, I really cannot disagree with anything noble Lords have said in this debate, although I do not believe we need an amendment. I utterly agree that nuclear power is essential to the future; it provides the essential baseload; it is safe, secure and reliable. We have great opportunities in the UK to develop nuclear energy and the supply chain, even more than we have now. Obviously, Rolls-Royce, from a UK company point of view, has great potential.

We are keeping a very close eye on Hinkley Point C; the operational date that has been given for the first unit between 2029 and 2031 is very crucial. We are working very hard to get Sizewell C to final investment decision in the next few months. We have the SMR programme, and I agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Bloomfield, about the importance and value of the work of Great British Nuclear. We are regularly engaged with GBN, and I pay tribute to the great work that its chair and chief executive are doing.

I have met a number of companies who are very interested in developing AMRs. We have all seen the experience of companies such as Amazon, in the US, linking small modular reactors and advanced modular reactors with data centres; clearly, we wish the UK to be very much part of that. In terms of the UK’s growth agenda, if we combine military and civil nuclear defence requirements, we know that the nuclear skills task force has now estimated that we need about 40,000 extra people in the industry by 2030, and moving on with even more people by the 2040s. This is at once a challenge and a huge opportunity, because the careers that are offered in the nuclear industry are secure and well paid, and it is a very exciting industry to go into.

The noble Lord, Lord Offord, quoted figures from the IEA. Although we have seen a global downturn in nuclear energy, it is right to now talk about a renaissance. At international gatherings, it is pretty clear that there are countries coming back to nuclear, as we are, and other countries that wish to develop nuclear energy for the first time. This is very encouraging; we know that, in terms of popular opinion, there is a much more positive attitude among the public towards nuclear energy.

I thank the Minister for his clarity and unequivocal support of nuclear, and, indeed, for his reply to my noble friend Lord Howell of Guildford, who asked a specific question in relation to the GB Energy Bill. GB Energy can, if required, participate in nuclear, but the clear understanding is that discussions are ongoing with GB Nuclear. So I would encourage the Government to continue to clarify what that will look like and how it will be funded going forward.

If I may come back on that, the noble Lord may have seen that the energy Select Committee had a hearing at which the chair of Great British Energy and then the chair of Great British Nuclear gave evidence. It is clear from what they said that we will have no difficulty at all in establishing a co-operative relationship.

That is noted. I thank the Minister. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Can I ask my noble friend why the new power station in Somerset is costing four times as much as an identical one in South Korea? Surely this will add to energy costs, not detract from them.

I am not sure which “noble friend” that was aimed at, but I will have a go if the noble Lord likes. I was at the department when we started talking about Hinkley many years ago. Two or three things happened. First, it took an awfully long time to come to a final investment decision. Secondly, EDF thought it could bring a design model from France and place it in Hinkley Point C without having to make design changes. The reality was that it had to make thousands of design changes because of the requirements of the regulatory system in the UK.

The good news is that work is progressing very well indeed at the second unit at Hinkley Point C because it learned an awful lot from its experience with the first unit. The additional good news is that Sizewell C is an 80% replica above ground of Hinkley Point C. The lessons learned from the first unit at Sizewell for the second unit mean that we should see improvements.

The model that is being used for the financing of Sizewell is to bring in a number of private sector investments to provide the commercial discipline in relation to cost and timing. Although the noble Lord is right to point to the cost and time overruns at Hinkley, we are learning and are confident for the future. The whole point about small modular reactors is that their modular nature should enable great efficiencies to be secured as more modulars are built in factory mode and then placed on site.

Amendment 21 withdrawn.