Boris Johnson Pushes ‘Dash to Nuclear’ as Green Agenda Falls by Wayside

BLACKPOOL, ENGLAND – MARCH 19: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses delegates
Ian Forsyth/Getty Images
Peter Caddle

Boris Johnson’s Build Back Better green agenda appears to have fallen by the wayside, with the British PM now pushing for a so-called ‘dash to nuclear’ plan.

A so-called ‘dash to nuclear’ is on the cards for the United Kingdom, as the nation’s Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, pushes for Britain to get 25 per cent of its power from atom-smashing power stations.

Meanwhile, the PM’s green agenda appears to have partially fallen by the wayside, with Johnson looking to encourage private investors to pony up the funds for investment in domestic nuclear and fossil fuel projects.

According to a report by The Guardian, the British premier met up with a number of top nuclear experts and business executives in order to discuss how best to accelerate the use of nuclear in the UK.

The publication reports that the country already receives about 16 per cent of its required power from the source, but with a number of stations scheduled to leave service, serious investment in the sector is needed in order to keep pace with where it is today, let alone to make it responsible for a quarter of the nation’s power generation.

However, the government is apparently keen on putting such investment in place, with one of the main purposes of the meeting reportedly being to express British officials’ “clear ambition for more nuclear” so that private firms feel confident enough to invest in such projects.

Boris Johnson’s government is also reportedly using Brexit to that end also, looking to change insurance rules first set by the EU in order to make the investing process easier for pension companies and insurers.

Another factor apparently driving the UK’s move to nuclear is the ongoing Ukraine crisis, with authorities in Britain seemingly keen on securing domestic energy sources as oil and gas see massive price hikes on the global market.

To this end, it seems Boris Johnson’s old green agenda is being kicked to the curb for the time being, with alternative power sources, such as nuclear, being pushed seemingly in the hopes of keeping home and business utility bills under control.

“Accelerating nuclear projects is absolutely essential to keep energy costs down, cut expensive gas imports and strengthen our energy security as we move towards net-zero,” The Guardian reports Tom Greatrex — who serves as the chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association — as saying.

“That means urgently investing in a fleet of large and small nuclear stations, alongside renewable investment, to deliver the clean, sovereign power we need,” he continued.

However, nuclear is not the only power source being pushed, with Boris Johnson’s government pushing for more private investment in fossil fuel projects in the North Sea, despite lip-service still being paid to his much-maligned green agenda.

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Helen Whately, is reported to have met with potential lenders on Monday regarding the insertion of further private investment into the potential North Sea oil and gas projects, as well as to “emphasise the Government’s commitment to domestic offshore oil and gas production”.

Johnson’s government has tried to justify this push for hydrocarbons by saying that it is actually in line with its net-zero push, describing oil and gas harvested in the North Sea as being “transition fuel[s]”.

However, what Britain is transitioning to exactly is seemingly still up for debate, with significant infighting reportedly occurring within the senior ranks of the Conservative Party leadership revolving around the place of nuclear power, in particular, in the UK’s future.

While Boris Johnson appears to be fully behind the new acceleration, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is apparently trying to resist the move towards nuclear, reportedly leading to behind the scenes frustration in the government.

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