Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged £700 million for the construction of a new nuclear power plant. In this way, the government wants to ensure that the country can better meet its own energy needs in the future, and become less dependent on Russian gas.
Johnson said the sharp rise in gas prices, as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has proven that Britain needs to focus more on nuclear energy. The nuclear power plant, called Sizewell C, is being built off the coast of Suffolk, in the east of England. According to the French energy company EDF, which will partly finance the project, the plant can provide energy with low CO2 emissions for at least sixty years.
The project is expected to cost around 20 billion pounds (23.2 billion euros). The UK government agreed to the construction in July and is still in talks with companies to get the financing around. “Yes, a nuclear power plant always seems relatively expensive to build and maintain,” Johnson said in one of his last speeches as prime minister. “But look at what is happening today, look at the consequences of Putin’s war. It is certainly cheaper than fossil fuels at the moment.’
“I tell you this, with the sincerity and openness of someone about to pass the baton, go for nuclear, go for big, and go for Sizewell C.” Johnson will formally resign next Tuesday. Many Britons demand from his successor, Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak, tougher measures to alleviate the high energy burden.
At the moment, energy prices are still kept relatively low by the government, but on October 1, the price ceiling will be released. Then energy prices will rise sharply again, which will hit hard for many people in the UK.
