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The Scottish Nuclear Free Local Authorities have written to key Scottish Government ministers with responsibility for energy policy and the nation’s response to climate change urging them not to fall for the rhetoric that so-called ‘Advanced Modular Reactors’ (AMRs) represent a step-change beyond the existing fission nuclear plants which have been plagued by failure.
Scottish Government policy states that ministers will ‘not support the building of new nuclear power plants under current technologies.’ The policy recognises that the proposed Small Modular Reactors ‘use the same nuclear fission technology as the power generating process found in larger traditional nuclear power plants and carry the same environmental concerns’, but the Scottish NFLAS are concerned that an attempt might be made by Whitehall mandarins and the nuclear industry to hoodwink parliamentarians at Holyrood into accepting claims that AMRs are somehow different.
In their forensic analysis of the various prospective AMR designs, which the NFLAs are delighted to be publishing today, Steve Thomas, Emeritus Professor of Energy Policy, University of Greenwich, and Pete Roche, Policy Advisor to Scottish Nuclear Free Local Authorities identify that they are not actually advanced, having been tried as prototypes and demonstration plants, and found wanting in the post-war era. Current designs represent more of the same, being unproven and unbuilt.
The briefing can be found at https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/briefings/nfla-policy-briefing-292-prospects-for-advanced-modular-reactors-in-the-uk/
In the UK, the Government’s AMR effort appears to be focused on High Temperature Gas Reactors, which, if operational, could be utilised to produce hydrogen. In July 2020, the UK Government announced £10m in funding for each of two reactor designs, the Westinghouse Lead-cooled Fast Reactor (LFR) and the U-Battery HTGR micro-reactor. This funding has essentially failed with neither technology still being pursued.
By December 2021, the July 2020 policy appeared to have been abandoned and the government announced that its AMR programme would focus mainly on HTGRs capable of operating in the range 700-950°C, but it looks unlikely that a suitable UK-design will be ready to make a significant contribution to net zero goals for 2050. In September 2022 undisclosed sums were awarded to four different designs. Then in July 2023 a further £53.5m in funding for HTGRs was awarded, but it now looks as though these reactors may not be able to operate at temperatures high enough to synthesise hydrogen efficiently.
Professor Thomas and Mr Roche conclude that: ‘the UK Government’s plans for AMRs will be expensive, unlikely to be able to contribute anything to our net zero goals by 2050, will still present safety and environmental concerns and will still generate nuclear waste. So, in all important aspects AMRs will not be any different from current designs’.
Scottish NFLAs Convenor Councillor Paul Leinster is keen to ensure that acceptance of SMRS in Scotland does not happen: “It is unlikely that any of the AMR designs will be available for deployment before 2050. Most or all will be fantasy, fail or never be developed. Rather than wasting time waiting for AMRs we should go all out to deliver a renewable energy future for our nation, based on the existing technologies and storage solutions that are currently available that much cheaper and certain.”
Ends//… For further information please contact the NFLA Secretary, Richard Outram, by email at richard.outram@manchester.gov.uk
The letter sent to Scottish Government ministers:
Neil Gray MSP,
Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy,
Email: cabsecwefwe@gov.scot
Màiri McAllan MSP,
Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition,
Email: CabSecTNZJT@gov.scot
Gillian Martin MSP,
Minister for Energy and the Environment,
Email: MinisterEE@gov.scot
All C/o The Scottish Government,
St Andrew’s House,
Regent Road,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3DG
7 February 2024
Dear Cabinet Secretary,
Dear Minister,
As you will know, the Nuclear Free Local Authorities support the Scottish Government’s position on nuclear power, as detailed in the Draft Scottish Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, which says it does:
“…not support the building of new nuclear power plants under current technologies.”
We are also supportive of the Strategy’s statement that:
“…small modular reactors, or SMRs … use the same nuclear fission technology as the power generating process found in larger traditional nuclear power plants and carry the same environmental concerns.”
We have also noted an increasing interest from the Westminster Government in so-called Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs). We are writing to express our concern that some politicians and lobbyists may attempt to argue that AMRs should not be categorised as reactors using current technologies.
We therefore enclose our briefing on AMRs written jointly by Steve Thomas, Emeritus Professor of Energy Policy, University of Greenwich, and Pete Roche, Policy Advisor for the Scottish Nuclear Free Local Authorities.
You will note from the briefing that AMR prototypes and demonstration plants built have all been problematic. The UK Government’s AMR effort appears to be focusing on High Temperature Gas Reactors (HTGRs). These reactors do not raise the same safety issues as Light Water Reactors but raise a different set of issues.
In July 2020, the UK Government announced £10m in funding for each of two reactor designs, the Westinghouse Lead-cooled Fast Reactor (LFR) and the U-Battery HTGR micro-reactor. This funding has essentially failed with neither technology still being pursued. By December 2021, the July 2020 policy appeared to have been abandoned and the government announced that its AMR programme would focus mainly on HTGRs capable of operating in the range 700-950°C, but it looks unlikely that a suitable UK-design will be ready to make a significant contribution to net zero goals for 2050. In September 2022 undisclosed sums were awarded to four different designs. Then in July 2023 a further £53.5m in funding for HTGRs was awarded, but it now looks as though these reactors may not be able to operate at temperatures high enough to synthesise hydrogen efficiently.
In short, the UK Government’s plans for AMRs will be expensive, unlikely to be able to contribute anything to our net zero goals by 2050, will still present safety and environmental concerns and will still generate nuclear waste. So, in all important aspects AMRs will not be any different from current designs.
We would welcome your comments and would be happy to discuss the contents of this letter and that attached briefing with you or your office team. Please respond in the first instance to the UK/Ireland NFLA Secretary Richard Outram by email to richard.outram@manchester.gov.uk Thank you.
Yours Sincerely,
Councillor Paul Leinster,
Convenor, Scottish Nuclear Free Local Authorities
