The Brits Nuke Up

Prime Minister David Cameron spoke at Hinkley Point B Nuclear Plant.
His orange hard hat makes him stand out in a stately, powerful way, nay? 

Like the US, the UK is making strides to cut their emissions, but their feat is rather more ambitious. In 2011, Energy Secretary Chris Huhne told parliament that the UK would cut emissions in half by 2025. A goal like this called for some drastic measures to be taken, and of course for coal plants to be shut down.

This leaves a huge void of reliable energy production that must be filled. Developed European nations have led the way with renewable energy, but it is neither consistent, vast, nor inexpensive enough to take over the main load of British power production in the near future. Nuclear power is the only logical choice for a fossil fuel alternative. On Monday, Great Britain announced its 26 billion dollar deal to build twin nuclear reactors in Hinkley Point B.

At this time, unfortunately, the market of nuclear energy is shaky, and the best deal UK officials were able to find includes multiple international parties and some outdated technology. The UK reached its deal with the French state-controlled utility the EDF Group. To reduce the risk of the several billion dollar investment, Great Britain has opened the door to Chinese investment, with China General Nuclear Corporation and China National Nuclear Corporation taking as much as a 40% stake in the project.

This project doesn't come without a pricetag to UK residents. According to EDF projections, the per-megawatt-hour prices of energy could double for the next 35 years when it begins producing in about a decade. Parliament for the Greens member Caroline Lucas called this endeavor "a terrible deal for billpayers."

Regardless of the expensive and foreign-funded aspects of this operation, I think that the UK project is to be admired, not dreaded. Rather than wait for an ambiguous future where it  might be more convenient to make the leap to alternate power sources, the European super-power is taking its part to do everything they can as soon as they can to help save our planet. This move, more than anything, sends the message that the need for change is immediate and that our planet's health takes precedence over financial independence and low wholesale energy rates. 

Read more about it HERE.