Politics

Dramatic Shift in U.K.’s Power Mix Lies Ahead as Nuclear Fades

EDF fails to get capacity agreed for half its nuclear fleet
Guaranteed nuclear power set to decline 75% by 2024, BNEF says

EDF’s Sizewell B nuclear power station, in Sizewell, U.K.
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

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By Rachel Morison and Ronan Martin

March 11, 2021 at 11:21 AM UTC

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The U.K.’s power generation mix will see a dramatic shift from 2024 as output from its nuclear units is forecast to fade out sooner than anticipated.

Electricite de France SA failed to secure agreements for half of its nuclear fleet in a government-led auction to keep capacity available in 2024-2025 this week. While some of the units are expected to close by 2024 several aren’t and their future looks uncertain. The future capacity has been crowded out by cables that import power from Europe.