Nuclear power in the United Kingdom

This article was produced by Tanjug in collaboration with European news agencies as part of the European Newsroom (ENR) project.

More than 20 countries called for the tripling of world nuclear energy capacity at UN climate talks on Saturday as part of efforts to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

A declaration endorsed by nations ranging from the United States to Ghana to Japan and several European countries said nuclear energy plays a "key role" in reaching the goal of carbon neutrality.

A global search for alternative sources to Russian energy during the war in Ukraine has refocused attention on smaller, easier-to-build nuclear power stations, which proponents say could provide a cheaper, more efficient alternative to older model mega-plants.

 Britain is seeking a free trade agreement with China, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday as she flew to the country for talks with Chinese leaders, adding that more should be done immediately to open up market access for British firms, according to Reuters. 

France and China will set up a fund for joint investment in overseas projects, France's foreign minister said on Oct. 31, as China's voracious appetite for overseas acquisitions continues to grow despite some recent stumbles in overseas markets. 

Names of Bulgarian and EU officials and representatives of regulators and operators to attend the Central & Eastern Europe Nuclear Decommissioning and Waste Management Conference 2016 have already been announced.

Plans to build two next-generation nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point in southwest England are stalled at the crossroads of ambitions by Britain, China and French electricity giant EDF.
 

Britain pledged 2 billion ($3.1 billion) on Sept.21 for a nuclear plant set to be built in England by a consortium, including Chinese firms, which would be the country's first such new power station in decades.

Austria said on Monday it has filed a legal challenge at the European Court of Justice against EU-granted state subsidies for a new nuclear power plant in Britain.

"Subsidies are there to support modern technologies that lie in the general interest of all EU member states. This is not the case with nuclear power," Chancellor Werner Faymann said in a statement.    

Westinghouse Electric has welcomed the European Commission's conclusion that the UK's revised plan to subsidise the construction of a new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point is in line with EU state aid rules.

...