Malcolm Charles Grimston (born 1 May 1958) is a British advocate of
nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by ...
, and is also a scientific author, based at the Centre for Energy Policy and Technology at
Imperial College London
Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...
. He has featured extensively on British television and radio in context of the latest new-build power stations for
nuclear power in the United Kingdom
Nuclear power in the United Kingdom generated 16.1% of the country's electricity in 2020. , the UK has five operational nuclear reactors at four locations (4 advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGR) and one pressurised water reactor (PWR)), producin ...
.
Early life
Grimston was born in
Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes () is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England with a population of 29,678 in 2021. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry ...
, now in
North East Lincolnshire
North East Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area with borough status in Lincolnshire, England. It borders the borough of North Lincolnshire and districts of West Lindsey and East Lindsey. The population of the district in the 2011 Census was ...
, then in
Lindsey Lindsey may refer to :
Places Canada
* Lindsey Lake, Nova Scotia
England
* Parts of Lindsey, one of the historic Parts of Lincolnshire and an administrative county from 1889 to 1974
** East Lindsey, an administrative district in Lincolnshire, ...
. He grew up in
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...
, attending the independent
Scarborough College
Scarborough College is a private coeducational day and boarding school aged 3–18 years in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1898 and opened in 1901. The school has been an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School ...
. He studied natural sciences at
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...
, where he graduated in 1979.
He subsequently took a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), again at Magdalene Cambridge.
Career
Grimston taught chemistry for seven years from 1980, at Stowe and Millfield schools. From 1987-92 he was an information officer at the
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is a UK government research organisation responsible for the development of fusion energy. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
T ...
(UKAEA).
From 1992-95 he was an information officer at the British Nuclear Industry Forum (now called the
Nuclear Industry Association
The Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) is a subscription-based trade association for the civil nuclear industry in the United Kingdom. It represents more than 260 companies in the nuclear supply chain. It publishes the quarterly magazine, ''Ind ...
). In 1995 Grimston joined Imperial College as a senior research fellow.
In 1999 Grimston became a senior research fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, also known as
Chatham House
The Royal Institute of International Affairs, also known as Chatham House, is a British think tank based in London, England. Its stated mission is "to help governments and societies build a sustainably secure, prosperous, and just world". It ...
. He served as an associate fellow until 2015.
Publications
* ''Double or Quits – the global future of civil nuclear energy'' (with Peter Beck, Earthscan Books, 2002)
* ''Civil nuclear energy – fuel of the future or relic of the past?'' (with Peter Beck, Chatham House 2000)
* ''The paralysis in energy decision-making'' (Whittle Publishing, September 2016)
* ''West Hill and Wimbledon Park Side - Story of a Council Ward'' (Authorhouse, November 2018)
Personal life
Grimston lives in
Wandsworth
Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
Toponymy
Wandsworth takes its name ...
. He is a councillor on
Wandsworth London Borough Council
Wandsworth London Borough Council, also known as Wandsworth Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Wandsworth in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London. The council has been under Labour m ...
,
Wandsworth Council
where he has represented West Hill ward since 1994. In 2014, he left the Conservative Party to sit as an Independent.
In 2018, he was re-elected with 4,002 votes. This was the highest individual result recorded for any candidate in Wandsworth and in Greater London.
See also
* :Books about nuclear issues
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimston, Malcolm
1958 births
Academics of Imperial College London
Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge
Schoolteachers from Lincolnshire
People associated with nuclear power
People educated at Scarborough College
People from Cleethorpes
People from Tooting
Science teachers
Living people
Chatham House people
Councillors in the London Borough of Wandsworth
Independent councillors in the United Kingdom