ISBN: 190686070X 9781906860707

Category: History / Europe / Great Britain / 20th Century

Page count: 256

<b>The story of the rise, fall and second ascendancy of nuclear power in the United Kingdom.</b><br><br>Britain was a pioneer in civil nuclear power and there were once high hopes in the 1950s that this could be a source of cheap electricity and a valuable export opportunity. In <i>The Fall and Rise of Nuclear Power in Britain</i>, Simon Taylor examines why these hopes were never realised, and how we have come to see a new rise in nuclear power in recent years. He traces the UK's nuclear energy history, from the optimism of the 1950s, through the disillusionment of the 1980s, to a new role for nuclear in the 21st century.<br><br>The construction of Britain's first new nuclear power station in 20 years, Hinkley Point C, marks a major change of policy. Throughout this book, Taylor provides a comprehensive overview of energy policy, economics, politics and changing environmental priorities, keying into debates about the generation and sustainability of this controversial energy source. <br><br>Will this new nuclear energy turn out to be a heroic story of UK leadership on a matter of global importance, or will it prove a hugely costly folly, as with British nuclear power in the past?