Scotland has a long history of nuclear research and electricity generation. Work started on the Dounreay reactor in 1955.
Year | TWh | Share |
---|---|---|
2004 | 18.83 | 37.71% |
2005 | 19.67 | 39.68% |
2006 | 14.91 | 28.77% |
2007 | 13.14 | 27.58% |
2008 | 15.86 | 31.91% |
2009 | 16.68 | 32.71% |
2010 | 15.29 | 30.93% |
2011 | 16.89 | 33.21% |
2012 | 17.05 | 33.87% |
2013 | 18.50 | 34.89% |
2014 | 16.63 | 33.24% |
2015 | 17.76 | 34.60% |
2016 | 19.63 | 42.97% |
2017 | 17.83 | 36.50% |
2018 | 13.61 | 27.96% |
2019 | 12.23 | 24.65% |
2020 | 13.46 | 25.96% |
2021 | 14.47 | 30.30% |
2022 | 7.94 | 15.79% |
Four other sites provided electricity to the National Grid in Scotland, however generation ceased at Hunterson A in 1990 and at Chapelcross in 2004. Between 2004 and 2021, nuclear energy accounted for 25-43% of the annual electricity generation in Scotland. [1] As of 2022, there is only one remaining operating nuclear power station in Scotland (Torness). [2]
The Scottish National Party (SNP) government elected in 2007 had a 'no new nuclear power strategy'. This position is at odds with UK government policy which in January 2008 announced the go-ahead for new nuclear power stations to be built across the United Kingdom. In response, Scotland's then First Minister Alex Salmond commented there was 'no chance' of new nuclear power stations being built in Scotland. [3] The Parliament voted 63–58 to support the policy of opposing new nuclear power stations, [4] taking advantage of a loophole which permits a veto on planning, despite lacking authority over the UK energy policy. [4] Others support nuclear as part of a sustainable, clean energy policy. [5]
HMNB Clyde (Faslane) is the homeport of the nuclear-powered submarines of the Vanguard and Astute classes:
As of 2007 [update] seven nuclear-powered submarines were stored at Rosyth Dockyard after decommissioning and the removal of their fuel : [6]
In 2013, a YouGov energy survey concluded that:
New YouGov research for Scottish Renewables shows Scots are twice as likely to favour wind power over nuclear or shale gas. Over six in ten (62%) people in Scotland say they would support large scale wind projects in their local area, more than double the number who said they would be generally for shale gas (24%) and almost twice as much as nuclear (32%). Hydro power is the most popular energy source for large scale projects in Scotland, with an overwhelming majority (80%) being in favour. [7]
— YouGov
By 2020, an IMechE survey found that support for nuclear had increased to 49% in favour. [8]
The advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR) is a type of nuclear reactor designed and operated in the United Kingdom. These are the second generation of British gas-cooled reactors, using graphite as the neutron moderator and carbon dioxide as coolant. They have been the backbone of the UK's nuclear power generation fleet since the 1980s.
Torness nuclear power station is a nuclear power station located approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of Edinburgh at Torness Point near Dunbar in East Lothian, Scotland. It was the last of the United Kingdom's Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors to be fully commissioned. Construction of this facility began in 1980 for the then South of Scotland Electricity Board (SSEB) and it was commissioned in 1988. It is a local landmark, highly visible from the A1 trunk road and East Coast Main Line railway.
The Dungeness nuclear power stations are a pair of non-operational nuclear power stations located on the Dungeness headland in the south of Kent, England.
Dounreay is a small settlement and the site of two large nuclear establishments on the north coast of Caithness in the Highland area of Scotland. It is on the A836 road nine miles west of Thurso.
British Energy was the UK's largest electricity generation company by volume, before being taken over by Électricité de France (EDF) in 2009. British Energy operated eight former UK state-owned nuclear power stations and one coal-fired power station.
Hartlepool nuclear power station is a nuclear power station situated on the northern bank of the mouth of the River Tees, 2.5 mi south of Hartlepool in County Durham, North East England. The station has a net electrical output of 1,185 megawatts, which is 2% of Great Britain's peak electricity demand of 60 GW. Electricity is produced through the use of two advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGR). Hartlepool was only the third nuclear power station in the United Kingdom to use AGR technology. It was also the first nuclear power station to be built close to a major urban area.
Nuclear power in the United Kingdom generated 16.1% of the country's electricity in 2020. As of August 2022, the UK has 9 operational nuclear reactors at five locations, producing 5.9 GWe. It also has nuclear reprocessing plants at Sellafield and the Tails Management Facility (TMF) operated by Urenco in Capenhurst.
EDF Energy is a British integrated energy company, wholly owned by the French state-owned EDF, with operations spanning electricity generation and the sale of natural gas and electricity to homes and businesses throughout the United Kingdom. It employs 11,717 people, and handles 5.22 million business and residential customer accounts.
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Hunterston B nuclear power station is a shut-down AGR nuclear power station in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Located about six miles south of Largs and about 2+1⁄2 miles northwest of West Kilbride on the Firth of Clyde coast. It is currently operated by EDF Energy. The station began producing electricity in 1976, and was permanently shut down in 2022.
The South of Scotland Electricity Board (SSEB) generated, transmitted and distributed electricity throughout the south of Scotland, including the former regions of Strathclyde, Lothian, Fife, Central, Borders and Dumfries and Galloway and a few towns in northern England. It operated from 1955 to 1991.
Energy in the United Kingdom came mostly from fossil fuels in 2021. Total energy consumption in the United Kingdom was 142.0 million tonnes of oil equivalent in 2019. In 2014, the UK had an energy consumption per capita of 2.78 tonnes of oil equivalent compared to a world average of 1.92 tonnes of oil equivalent. Demand for electricity in 2023 was 29.6 GW on average, supplied through 235 TWh of UK-based generation and 24 TWh of energy imports.
Scottish Nuclear was formed as a precursor to the privatisation of the electricity supply industry in Scotland on 1 April 1990. A purpose-built headquarters was built in 1992 in the new town of East Kilbride.
Nuclear Electric was a nuclear power generation company in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1990 as part of the privatisation process of the UK Electricity Supply Industry.
Hinkley Point B nuclear power station was a nuclear power station near Bridgwater, Somerset, on the Bristol Channel coast of south west England. It was the first commercial Advanced Gas Cooled reactor to generate power to the National Grid in 1976 and shares its design with sister station Hunterston B nuclear power station. It ceased operations permanently on 1 August 2022.
Hunterston A nuclear power station is a former Magnox nuclear power station located at Hunterston in Ayrshire, Scotland, adjacent to Hunterston B. The ongoing decommissioning process is being managed by Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) subsidiary Magnox Ltd.
Sir James Hann was a British businessman and former chairman of Scottish Nuclear.
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