The UK government is "absolutely committed" to boosting nuclear power as a key energy source, but national security is paramount as Chinese investment in new plants raises concerns, the minister in charge of the sector told Nikkei Asia.
"The British government is absolutely committed to new nuclear, after about three decades of underinvestment. On the whole, we are open to investors from overseas," Minister for Nuclear and Networks Andrew Bowie said in a recent interview.
But there would be "certain rules" around new investment that would rule out Russian investors and others, with "obvious caveats regarding national security implications," Bowie said.
With energy security climbing up the European agenda since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Bowie said, "For the first time in generations, the British people see nuclear in a positive light. They are supportive of nuclear as a means of securing our energy baseload, but also getting to net-zero [carbon emissions], because it is a clean source of energy."
https://report.az/en/energy/uk-eyes-boosting-nuclear-energy-as-key-energy-source/