The UK is currently storing around 140 tonnes of plutonium, mostly arising from its civil nuclear programme over the past 60 years. What should we, as a nation, do with it? Should we use it as fuel for future reactors, or dispose of it as waste? The latest position paper from the Dalton Nuclear Institute […]
How can nuclear help with energy costs – and how do we pay for nuclear?
Europe is struggling through a period of exorbitant energy prices. In addition to directly hitting consumers with a higher cost of living, high energy prices will also have detrimental effects on business and industry. In this blog, Will Bodel from the Dalton Nuclear Institute examines the role of nuclear energy in reducing the cost of […]
Nuclear power – the role of government
In 2006, Prime Minister Tony Blair assured Britain that nuclear was “back on the agenda with a vengeance”. Boris Johnson has described his commitment to deliver nuclear at “warp speed”, and the three intervening Prime Ministers have also emphasised their support for nuclear. Yet Britain’s first new nuclear plant – Hinkley Point C (HPC) – […]
Building nuclear for a greener future
The UK’s ambition to achieve net zero by 2050 is an enormous undertaking, and many acknowledge that achieving such a goal requires an increase in nuclear energy capacity and therefore an increase in the number of nuclear sites across the UK. In this blog, colleagues from the Dalton Nuclear Institute; William Bodel, Adrian Bull, Gregg […]
Nuclear powered decarbonisation?
At the moment, Net Zero permeates Government policies and programmes, but the true scale of the challenge it represents is only now beginning to become clear. Could nuclear power play a role or is it a costly distraction? Here, Will Bodel, Gregg Butler, Francis Livens, Juan Matthews and Richard Taylor from the Dalton Nuclear Institute […]
Climate Change: Should we take the nuclear option?
In this blog, William Bodel a post-doctoral research associate at the Dalton Nuclear Institute at The University of Manchester, looks at the future of low-carbon energy generation in the UK to see whether nuclear energy should support the UK Government’s climate change commitments. Concerns around climate change, and the political drive to achieve net-zero greenhouse […]