The UK must rediscover the ability to build nuclear power on time and budget if it is serious about delivering affordable power and deep decarbonisation of its energy system, a thinktank has said.

In a report welcomed as “provocative and necessary” by the London-based Nuclear Industry Association (NIA), the centre-right Onward thinktank calls for a significant shift away from a renewables-dominated system to one with a greater role for gas-fired generation and nuclear.

The report, ‘Firm Foundations: The case for cheap and reliable power’, calls for the country to build a diverse generation mix around nuclear, renewables and gas that allows consumers to access affordable electricity when they need it.

It says a mix of nuclear, renewables and gas generation would build a much cheaper power system that can be used to electrify and decarbonise more of the economy.