And watch the politics. Nuclear has cross-party support in principle, but the cost and delays are testing that consensus. If energy bills rise sharply due to RAB levies, or if Hinkley's final cost exceeds £40 billion, public and political support may erode. The UK's nuclear renaissance is still possible, but it is far from guaranteed. The next five years will determine whether nuclear is a cornerstone of net zero or a costly detour.
Key takeaways
- The UK has 5.9 GW of operational nuclear capacity in January 2026, down from 9 GW in 2020, as ageing plants close faster than new ones are built
- Hinkley Point C, the first new nuclear plant in a generation, is now expected to cost £35-37 billion and start generating in 2029-2030, six years late, with EDF warning of further delays
- The government has committed to building Sizewell C (3.2 GW) using a new financing model that shifts costs to billpayers during construction, avoiding the Hinkley funding debacle but raising bills by an estimated £15-20 per household per year from 2026
- Small modular reactors (SMRs) are central to the government's nuclear strategy, with Rolls-Royce SMR selected for development, but no commercial deployment is expected before 2035 and costs remain unproven
- Nuclear provided 13% of UK electricity in 2025, down from 16% in 2023, and without new capacity it will fall to 5% by 2030 as more plants close, leaving a gap that renewables and gas must fill
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