Are UK attachments to nuclear power at least partly a military romance?
Major long-run global energy trends are raising serious questions about the persistent intensity of UK Government attachments to civil nuclear power. In particular, queries emerge in the UK as elsewhere about the role of military nuclear interests. With hitherto undeclared dependencies between civil and military nuclear programmes increasingly openly discussed elsewhere, defence policy documents in the UK offer crucial substantive evidence. In short, it is evident that capabilities to build and operate nuclear propelled submarines depend to a large extent on the ability of nuclear skills infrastructures and supply chains that are largely funded by second and third tier civil nuclear contracts. Figures from the National Audit Office suggest the magnitude of the associated effective subsidy from UK electricity consumers to military nuclear interests amounts in respect of only one of six currently proposed civil nuclear projects, to many tens of billions of pounds – or around 6% of average electricity bills. Resulting issues are attended to abroad, but remain virtually entirely undiscussed either in UK energy policy or wider national media debates. The issues that are raised therefore transcend energy and military policy, to raise further grave questions about health of British democracy.
Date:
28 May 2019, 17:00 (Tuesday, 5th week, Trinity 2019)
Venue:
Dyson Perrins Building, off South Parks Road OX1 3QY
Venue Details:
Gottman Room, Oxford University Centre for the Environment
Speakers:
Andy Stirling (SPRU University of Sussex),
Phil Johnstone (SPRU University of Sussex)
Organising department:
Environmental Change Institute
Organiser:
Anne L Ryan (Oxford Energy Coordinator)
Organiser contact email address:
info@energy.ox.ac.uk
Hosts:
Professor Nick Eyre (Environmental Change Institute),
Dr Philipp Grunewald (University of Oxford, Oxford University Centre for the Environment)
Part of:
Energy Colloquia Series
Topics:
Booking required?:
Not required
Audience:
Public
Editor:
Anne Ryan
