P5_1 Can the UK feasibly be powered solely by one nuclear power station?

Abstract

The United Kingdom consumed 300 TWh of electricity in 2018 which came from a variety of sources. We calculated the mass of nuclear fuel one nuclear power station would need to power the UK for one year, for a typical nuclear reactor and a modern reactor. For a standard reactor this gave a total mass of 850 metric tonnes of uranium, this is equivalent to 34 standard nuclear power plants. Whereas it needed 650 tonnes of uranium for a modern reactor, equivalent to 25 standard reactors. It was found that one very large nuclear reactor is not a feasible answer to the energy needs of the country due to the high costs of maintaining the reactor and buying fuel.