The UK’s energy policy to secure low carbon and affordable energy supply is about more than just Hinkley and “cannot be dependent on any single project”.
That’s the message from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) which follows Theresa May’s decision to give the final go-ahead for the £18 billion nuclear project after she reviewed it.
The decision was welcomed by the nuclear sector but not by environmental campaigners.
The Committee added delivering a cost-effective, secure and low carbon power system will require a number of further decisions about the power sector and the £18 billion project is a starting point.
It said: “There remain significant risks to the delivery of the Hinkley power station. A prudent energy policy will involve sufficient investment across low carbon technologies to ensure that power output and carbon targets can be met given the risk of delays at Hinkley.”
The committee insists there are a wide range of options from which markets, supported by intelligent policy, can enable the most appropriate technologies and behaviours to emerge.
These technologies are renewables, carbon capture and storage, demand-side flexibility, energy storage, interconnectors and modern transmissions and distribution networks.
It added: “New nuclear power can help to reduce emissions in the power sector in a number of ways, particularly acting alongside intermittent renewable generation in a low carbon mix of technologies. However, as set out in the CCC’s reports, there are many mixes of different low carbon technologies compatible with reducing emissions from the power sector.”