Sustainability of Nuclear Energy—A Critical Review from a UK Perspective

Many countries, including the United Kingdom, have committed to reaching “net zero” emissions by 2050. To meet this challenge requires urgent deployment of low-carbon energy-generating technologies, not just for electricity generation but also other sectors, including transportation and heating. However, this will only be successful if the other two pillars of sustainability (social and economic impacts) are balanced with the environmental drivers. All energy-generation technologies have benefits and drawbacks, and these must be objectively and fairly assessed using a “level playing field” approach. Nuclear energy has benefits that are complementary to renewables and thus can play a valuable role in delivering large amounts of low-carbon energy globally. However, critics of nuclear energy raise concerns related to safety (and security), radioactive waste management, and economics that have challenged its acceptance as a sustainable energy source in some quarters. Nevertheless, objective consideration of sustainability in global energy needs and the different generating technologies clearly indicate a valuable role for nuclear energy in a sustainable and low-carbon future. It is concluded that nuclear energy should be recognised as “sustainable”, and the analysis shows that energy portfolios incorporating nuclear provide the most sustainable system overall.