In a letter to the Financial Times, ECA Chair John Haw responded to Holtec’s Kris Singh saying the world has become rational about nuclear. John’s view is that Singh is only half right.
There are good reasons why nuclear is attracting attention. The AI boom is driving demand for power and governments are looking to strengthen energy security and deliver lower-carbon generation. But John says it’s “a demand story, not a delivery story.” Investment appetite doesn’t tell us when additional power will reach the grid.
The state of nuclear energy now
- The UK’s existing plants are producing less. Nuclear generation fell 12% in 2025 to 35.9TWh, a record low and half the level of 2015. First-quarter 2026 output was down another 7.1% on a year earlier.
- EDF now expects Hinkley Point C’s first unit to start generating in 2030, five years later than originally planned. Sizewell C in Suffolk is also under construction.
- Over in the US, fuel loading at the Palisades restart John cites began in August, a first for a US reactor that entered decommissioning, but it’s now paused after a fuel assembly tilted in the reactor vessel.
- Globally, the war in Iran continues to put energy security on the agenda, adding to interest in nuclear. The World Nuclear Association says new reactor construction would need to increase around fivefold over the next decade to meet 2050 targets.
What does this mean for UK businesses?
Nuclear projects are complex. Engineering, regulatory approval, financing, construction and commissioning can all affect when generation becomes available. Energy procurement decisions have to take account of the market now, and how that market could develop.
Headlines about future generation can influence expectations about energy availability and pricing, but businesses still have contracts to negotiate and energy costs to manage today.
This is where good energy advice remains important. Energy consultants help businesses separate longer-term market developments from the factors that should influence their immediate procurement and energy strategy.
A changing energy mix creates choices
Nuclear is one part of a much wider transition. Businesses have choices that extend beyond simply purchasing electricity from the grid. Solar, Power Purchase Agreements, energy efficiency, storage and other technologies are creating different ways for organisations to manage their consumption, costs and carbon reduction plans.
Energy consultants must understand how these options interact with changes in the wider energy market. The role isn’t to predict exactly what the UK’s energy system will look like in ten or twenty years. It is to help customers understand the options available, the risks involved and what makes sense for their business.
Read John’s letter in the Financial Times
ECA Chair John Haw explores the issue in his letter: Demand for nuclear is not the same as delivery – Financial Times
John Haw is Co-Founder and Chair of the ECA as well as CEO of Fidelity Energy.
