The UK should build new nuclear power stations at scale.

Steady power in any weather. Electricity demand is expected to rise sharply as heating and transport move away from fossil fuels; the government's own review of nuclear regulation describes a projected doubling. Wind and solar will supply much of this. However, there will be times when their combined output is close to zero. Nuclear stations generate around the clock in any weather, and over their life cycle they emit about as little carbon per unit of electricity as wind. Building them at scale would give a clean grid a firm base that does not depend on stored energy or on burning gas. (Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce, 2025; The Royal Society, 2023; IPCC, 2014)

The existing fleet is running out. Nuclear supplied 12.2% of UK electricity in 2025, its lowest output since the 1980s. Four of the 5 stations still operating are due to stop generating by March 2030, and the government expects nuclear capacity to fall from 5.9 gigawatts (GW) to between 3 and 4 GW by then. Without a programme of new stations, the largest source of firm low-carbon power will shrink just as demand grows. (DESNZ, 2026a; EDF Energy, 2024; EDF Energy, 2026; DESNZ, 2024)

Building in series brings costs down. The first stations of any design are the most expensive. A peer-reviewed study of 349 reactors across 7 countries found no inherent trend of rising costs, and South Korea, which built a standard design many times over, saw its costs fall over time. The UK's recent problem, according to a government-commissioned review in 2025, is that each project has been treated as a standalone effort. A steady pipeline of identical stations would allow suppliers, workers, and regulators to learn as they go. (Lovering et al, 2016; Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce, 2025)

A long and predictable life. Once built, a station produces power for decades from a single site. Sizewell C is designed to supply the equivalent of 6 million homes for at least 60 years. Existing stations can also be kept running: in July 2026 the government agreed terms to extend Sizewell B to 2055 at a guaranteed price of £70.50 per megawatt hour (MWh), in 2025 prices. As a result, nuclear offers stable output and stable prices over a very long period, whatever happens to the price of gas. (Sizewell C, 2025; DESNZ, 2026b)

Repeated cost overruns. Hinkley Point C was expected to cost £18 billion; however, in February 2026 EDF put the figure at about £35 billion (both in 2015 prices) and moved the first reactor's start to 2030. Sizewell C, which uses the same design, has a baseline cost of £38.2 billion in 2024 prices. A government-commissioned review in 2025 described the UK as the most expensive place in the world to build nuclear projects. Money committed to projects of this kind cannot then be spent on cheaper ways of cutting emissions. (New Civil Engineer, 2026; NAO, 2026; Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce, 2025)

Too slow to make a difference soon. Sizewell C reached its final investment decision in July 2025, yet construction is not due to finish until the summer of 2039. Further large stations approved now would be unlikely to generate before the 2040s. By contrast, the government's plan for clean power by 2030 relies on wind, solar, and storage that can be built within a few years. New nuclear stations approved now would therefore do little to cut emissions during the 2030s. (NAO, 2026; DESNZ, 2024)

Other ways to keep the lights on. Firm supply does not have to come from nuclear. The government plans for 23 to 27 GW of batteries, 4 to 6 GW of long-duration storage, and 12 to 14 GW of links to other countries' grids by 2030. The Royal Society found in 2023 that Britain's demand in 2050 could be met by wind and solar supported by large-scale storage, and that adding steady nuclear output would raise costs unless nuclear became much cheaper than projected. These options can also be added in smaller steps as needs change. (DESNZ, 2024; The Royal Society, 2023)

Waste and long-term liabilities. The UK still has no permanent store for its most radioactive waste. Nuclear Waste Services plans to place the first waste in a geological disposal facility (GDF) between 2050 and 2060. Every new station adds to that waste and to future decommissioning costs. In addition, Sizewell C is paid for partly through household bills during construction, which the National Audit Office (NAO) says places more risk on taxpayers and consumers than other electricity projects. (CoRWM, 2025; NAO, 2026)