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Nuclear Power Generation Development

Nuclear fission was discovered in the 1930s. During the 1950s considerable research took place, particularly in the United States, the UK, France, Canada and the former Soviet Union, into the design and construction of commercial nuclear power stations.

In the UK, construction began at Calder Hall in Cumbria in 1953 on the UK's first commercial nuclear power station. Calder Hall was connected to the national grid in 1956, thus becoming the first nuclear power station in the world to provide electricity commercially. The reactors at Calder Hall were a prototype of the Magnox gas cooled reactor. A second prototype Magnox station at Chapelcross in Dumfries and Galloway was switched to the national grid in 1959.

Following these prototype stations, nine full scale Magnox power stations were built in the UK. Construction of the first of these began in 1957. Two Magnox stations were built outside the UK, one in Italy and one in Japan.

The early development programme in France also concentrated on gas cooled reactor technology. Nine gas-graphite reactors, which are similar to Magnox reactors, were built in the 1950s and 1960s. The US research programme instead principally concentrated on developing water-cooled reactors, such as the pressurised water reactor and the boiling water reactor ("BWR"). In the 1970s France adopted water-cooled reactor technology for all future commercial nuclear generation, initially based on US design.

In 1964 the UK decided to develop advanced gas cooled reactor technology (AGR) to succeed the Magnox stations as the principal source of nuclear power in the UK. Five AGR stations were built in England and two in Scotland.

In 1978 the then Government decided that for future nuclear power station design it would be appropriate to pursue the Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) option, the most widely used design outside the UK. Construction of the UK's first PWR, Sizewell B in Suffolk, started in 1987 after the largest ever UK public inquiry from January 1983 to March 1985. Construction was completed in 1994 and electricity generation began on 14 February 1995 following receipt of the appropriate consents from regulatory bodies. Since Sizewell B, no further nuclear reactors have been built or ordered in the UK.

Privatisation of UK nuclear generation

In its 1988 White Paper "Privatising Electricity" the previous Government announced its intention to privatise the electricity supply industry. However, it was recognised that the overall cost of electricity from existing nuclear power stations was more expensive than electricity generated from new coal, oil or gas fired stations - largely due to the high capital costs of nuclear power stations coupled with the costs of the decommissioning of nuclear installations and the disposal of nuclear wastes. For these reasons, plus uncertainties over the costs connected with the financing of new PWR stations (at that time three other PWR stations - Hinkley Point C at Somerset, Wylfa B in Anglesey and Sizewell C in Suffolk - were planned in addition to Sizewell B) and concerns about the operating performance of the AGR stations, nuclear power was removed from the Government's privatisation plans.

In 1994 the previous Government's "Review of the Future Prospects for Nuclear Power in the UK" examined the economic and commercial viability of new nuclear power stations in the UK. The review confirmed the then Government's support for the continued operation of existing nuclear power stations provided they were able to maintain rigorous standards of safety and environmental protection. It acknowledged that nuclear power contributed to diversity of supply and to protection of the environment - i.e. nuclear power stations emit practically no sulphur dioxide or nitrogen oxides (the principal ingredients of acid rain) and virtually no carbon dioxide (the principle gas responsible for global warming). It also took the view that providing public sector support for a new nuclear power station would constitute a significant intervention in the electricity market and that circumstances did not warrant such an intervention.

The 1994 review also concluded that moving as much of the nuclear generating industry, with its associated liabilities, as is practicable into the private sector would bring benefits for the industry, electricity consumers and the taxpayer. Following the review, the nuclear generating industry was therefore reorganised to enable its more modern stations, the seven AGRs and Sizewell B, with their associated liabilities to be transferred to the private sector. British Energy plc was privatised in July 1996 (see below for latest position). British Energy is the holding company with a subsidiary - British Energy Generation Ltd - operating the PWR and five AGR stations previously run by Nuclear Electric Ltd, and the two AGR stations in Scotland previously run by Scottish Nuclear Ltd.

The older plant, two operating Magnox stations and the closed Magnox stations, and the associated liabilities remain in the public sector. Initially these stations were the responsibility of a stand-alone company, Magnox Electric plc. However, this was integrated with British Nuclear Fuels plc (BNFL), the UK's Government-owned supplier of reprocessing and other nuclear fuel cycle services which already operated two Magnox stations (Calder Hall and Chapelcross) in March 1998.

UK's civil nuclear power stations

The UK currently has 19 operating reactors at 10 power stations, which provide approximately 20% of the electricity in the UK. Nuclear power plays an important role in helping the UK to meet its climate change targets. In the absence of nuclear generation, emissions of carbon dioxide in 1999 would have been 12-24 million tonnes higher, depending on the mix of generation used to replace it. Looking at it another way, nuclear generation currently reduces national carbon emissions by between 7 and 14%. The tables below give the nuclear stations currently operating in the UK and those that have ceased operation.