The largest UK grant for nuclear research in 30 years was announced today at Imperial College London.

The largest UK grant for nuclear research in 30 years was announced today at Imperial College London.   

The ?6.1 million Keeping the Nuclear Option Open programme will investigate how nuclear power could become a more appealing option for future energy production.   

The Imperial College-led initiative will examine issues such as how nuclear reactor systems function, how reactors are monitored and how reactor waste can be dealt with.     

Researchers hope that the four-year project will help increase the acceptability of nuclear power as an alternative source of energy and maintain the UK’s expertise in nuclear technology.     

The programme, administered through the EPSRC, represents the single largest research council commitment to fission reactor research for more than 30 years. Imperial will work in collaboration with the Universities of Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, Bristol, Cardiff and the Open University.   

’Having neglected nuclear reactor science and technology for twenty years, it is now clear that a broad research programme is necessary if we are to be in position to underpin a new reactor based generating capacity,’ said Robin Grimes, project co-ordinator at Imperial.   ’Nuclear power is clearly a route to achieving the UK’s commitment to reducing its carbon emissions under the Kyoto accord.’ The programme is designed to address the shortage of UK experts with the science and engineering backgrounds needed.