HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Scotland has a long history of nuclear research and electricity generation. Work started on the Dounreay reactor in 1955. Four other sites provided electricity to the National Grid in Scotland, however generation ceased at Hunterson A in 1990 and at Chapelcross in 2004. Between 2004 and 2021, nuclear energy accounted for 25-43% of the annual electricity generation in Scotland. As of 2022, there is only one remaining operating nuclear power station in Scotland (Torness). The
Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic party. The party holds 61 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, and holds 9 out of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, ...
(SNP) government elected in 2007 had a 'no new nuclear power strategy'. This position is at odds with
UK government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
policy which in January 2008 announced the go-ahead for new nuclear power stations to be built across the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. In response, Scotland's then First Minister Alex Salmond commented there was 'no chance' of new nuclear power stations being built in Scotland. The
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
voted 63–58 to support the policy of opposing new nuclear power stations, taking advantage of a loophole which permits a veto on planning, despite lacking authority over the UK energy policy. Others support nuclear as part of a sustainable, clean energy policy.


Nuclear reactors in Scotland


Power station reactors

* Chapelcross,
Dumfries and Galloway Dumfries and Galloway (; ) is one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland, located in the western part of the Southern Uplands. It is bordered by East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire to the north; Scottish Borders to the no ...
(Generation ceased 2004) * Hunterston A,
North Ayrshire North Ayrshire (, ) is one of 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and s ...
(Generation ceased 1990) * Hunterston B,
North Ayrshire North Ayrshire (, ) is one of 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the northeast, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and s ...
- EDF Energy owned AGR (Generation ceased 2022) * Torness,
East Lothian East Lothian (; ; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, as well as a Counties of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The county was called Haddingtonshire until 1921. In ...
- EDF Energy owned AGR (Scheduled for shut down in 2030)


Research reactors

*
Dounreay Dounreay (; ) is a small settlement and the site of two large nuclear establishments on the north coast of Caithness Caithness (; ; ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutena ...
** VULCAN (Rolls-Royce Naval Marine) (decommissioned in 1992) ** PWR2 (Rolls-Royce Naval Marine) - (shut down 2015) ** DMTR - (shut down 1969) ** Dounreay Fast Reactor -
Fast breeder reactor A breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor that generates more fissile material than it consumes. These reactors can be Nuclear fuel, fueled with more-commonly available isotopes of uranium and Isotopes of thorium, thorium, such as uranium-238 and t ...
(shut down 1977) **
Prototype fast reactor Dounreay (; ) is a small settlement and the site of two large nuclear establishments on the north coast of Caithness in the Highland (council area), Highland area of Scotland. It is on the A836 road west of Thurso. The nuclear establishments w ...
- (shut down 1994) * East Kilbride - Scottish Universities Research and Reactor Centre (100 kW
Argonaut class reactor The Argonaut class reactor is a design of small nuclear research reactor. Many have been built throughout the world, over a wide range of power levels. Its functions are to teach nuclear reactor theory, nuclear physics and for use in engineering la ...
deactivated 1995, fully dismantled 2003)


Nuclear-powered vessels

HMNB Clyde His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS ''Neptune''), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It ...
(Faslane) is the homeport of the nuclear-powered submarines of the Vanguard and Astute classes: * HMS ''Vanguard'' * HMS ''Victorious'' * HMS ''Vigilant'' * HMS ''Vengeance'' * HMS ''Astute'' * HMS ''Ambush'' * HMS ''Artful'' * HMS ''Audacious'' * HMS ''Anson'' seven nuclear-powered submarines were stored at
Rosyth Dockyard Rosyth Dockyard is a large Royal Navy Dockyard, naval dockyard on the Firth of Forth at Rosyth, Fife, Scotland, owned by Babcock Marine, which formerly undertook refitting of Royal Navy surface vessels and submarines. Before its privatisation i ...
after decommissioning and the removal of their fuel : * HMS ''Churchill'' * HMS ''Dreadnought'' * HMS ''Resolution'' * HMS ''Repulse'' * HMS ''Renown'' * HMS ''Revenge'' * HMS ''Swiftsure''


Public opinion

In 2013, a YouGov energy survey concluded that: By 2020, an IMechE survey found that support for nuclear had increased to 49% in favour.


See also

*
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 ...
*
Economy of Scotland The economy of Scotland is an Open economy, open mixed economy, mainly services based, which is the Economy of the United Kingdom#Economy by country, second largest economy amongst the countries of the United Kingdom. It had an estimated nominal ...
* Renewable energy in Scotland * List of Scotland-related topics


References

{{Scottish Energy Electricity policy in Scotland