Under current UK Government policy, nuclear power stations will only be built if companies believe that they can make a profit in a liberalised electricity market.
Other policies, promoting a large expansion of renewable generation, mostly from wind, will also have a significant impact on this market. We are studying pricing and investment behaviour to better understand these impacts, and the interactions between different kinds of plant.
Other issues of energy policy studied at the University include the importance of energy security and ways of promoting it, and the environmental impacts of energy use. Nuclear energy has the potential to significantly increase energy security, and to make an important contribution to reducing emissions of carbon dioxide.