Engineering firm Atkins has published a new report detailing the investment in low-carbon energy needed for the UK to achieve its target of net-zero emissions by 2050. The report - titled Engineering Net Zero - calls for the government to significantly increase investment in nuclear power.

Nuclear has a place in Europe's energy mix, but rising costs - even if only perceived - need to be addressed to ensure future growth, speakers agreed at the New Nuclear Watch Institute's first annual forum, held in London yesterday.

EDF Energy announced today that the projected cost of its Hinkley Point C project has increased by up to GBP2.9 billion (USD3.6 billion) compared to the previous estimate. Both the utility and the UK government stressed that, under the terms of the contract-for-difference, there is no impact from the increase for UK consumers or taxpayers.

Policymakers need to understand that the system costs of variable renewable energy necessitate the inclusion of nuclear and hydro as the primary dispatchable low-carbon generation options within a clean electricity mix. Representatives of the International Energy Agency and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency told delegates at World Nuclear Association Symposium 2019 in London last week that the issue of system costs was no longer a novelty, but an increasingly important topic in the fight against climate change.