COMMENTARY | A NUCLEAR RENAISSANCE?
Regaining a nuclear lead
Global attitudes are now tilting back towards nuclear energy and there are clear advantages in being first past the post but the
regulatory regime must adapt to allow the nuclear sector to flourish. By Vince Zabielski, Partner, Pillsbury
RECENT GLOBAL DEVELOPMENTS HAVE HIGHLIGHTED that renewables and fossil fuels, set up as they currently are, will continue to present problems economically and practically. That realisation has prompted a widespread rethink of nuclear power. For instance, Denmark, a country that has been until recently a nuclear sceptic, has announced a rethink of a 40-year nuclear power ban, given the growing demand for low-carbon electricity. The recent power outage and large blackout in Spain
& Portugal, while its cause has yet to be definitively ascertained, has frequently been attributed to an overreliance on renewable energy that at this point in the energy transition is not robust enough to survive grid transients. The response has been immediate. Spain, having tentatively initiated plans to close nuclear reactors over the next decade, has now put those plans on hold as it seeks to bolster its energy security. Equally, geopolitical headwinds have underlined the need for alternative routes to energy reliability and
sustainability targets. Russian oil & gas imports had formed a large part of the European pipeline, but since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with repeated rounds of sanctions and curtailment of fuel imports, alternative measures have had to be explored. Germany, for example, had its reliance on gas power plants especially put into focus in the wake of Russian import bans, and is now judiciously exploring nuclear reactor development, which had previously been rejected as an option.
The nuclear renaissance 2.0 Global attitudes are just now tilting back towards nuclear energy, and there will be a definitive advantage in being first past the post in nuclear energy investment and implementation. Such a focus could speed up wider decarbonisation across all industries. While there is now no doubt that efforts are starting to be devoted back towards nuclear energy to accelerate its green energy expansion, all eyes must turn to nuclear.
Above: More than 7,000 design changes were made at Hinkley Point C to meet ONR rules. IT is effectively a different design from the “standard” EPR Source: EDF
38 | July 2025 |
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