The UK has announced an outline agreement with Hitachi of Japan to build two reactors on the island of Anglesey. If it be reality, the plant could produce electricity by the mid-2020s.  These two plants along the one under construction by EDF the Hinkley Point C in Somerset are built to ensure the energy security of the UK . It is also a test of the ability of nuclear industry to compete under the circumstance of rapid change in the energy sector.

Since the disaster at the Fukushima plant in Japan, the nuclear industry has received concerns particularly regarding safety issues. But at present the biggest concern of this industry is the costs. Nowadays, the rise of renewable power lead to the fall of costs of renewable energies such as wind and solar. It seems difficult for the nuclear power to compete under the current circumstances. 

The share of nuclear of total electricity generation worldwide have seen a substantive decline. These could be attributed to the increasing nuclear costs, the pummeling price of renewables and the technological advance. The nuclear has to compete with gas, wind and solar and this trend has grown. The Energy Outlook report forecasts that renewable energy would be the fastest-growing source of energy by 2040. 

 The majority of nuclear power plants are being built in developing countries with rising energy demand, e.g. China, India and some Middle East countries, while the UK is one of the few developed countries planning to further nuclear power plants. 

For example, since China is shifting its economy away from coal, Chinese government treats nuclear as a source of reliable low-carbon electricity. A recent analysis concluded that nuclear power projects are more expensive than those in the early 1980s; the construction times have increase two-fold in the past five decades; the increasing complexity and risks lead to high financial costs. Thus regulatory consideration and safety play heavily into nuclear projects. The other two plants under construction in western Europe and the first two nuclear projects in the US are running years late and over budget. The government’s decision to guarantee EDF a minimum price for electricity from Hinkley Point C has attracted severe criticism. It still remain to be seen whether new reactors can be competitive. Although there are criticisms and concerns, some commentators see the important role of nuclear. They argue that it can still play a role in the future energy mix or in providing the volume of low-carbon electricity if the costs come down and electrification of transport and heating are widespread.