Scotland’s devolved government has drawn a firm line in the sand on energy policy, rejecting nuclear power in favour of expanding renewables—even as Westminster commits over £16 billion to new nuclear development across England.
Acting Energy Secretary Gillian Martin confirmed that Scotland would maintain its long-standing de facto ban on new nuclear facilities, despite pressure from political opponents and business leaders to reconsider.
“We have a policy of ‘no new nuclear’,” Martin told BBC Scotland. “We think the investment is much better placed in renewable energy, which is cheaper to produce and cheaper for consumers.”
Nuclear divide widens
The comments come after UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced £14.2 billion in public investment for the Sizewell C nuclear plant in Suffolk and £2.5 billion for developing small modular reactors (SMRs) in the East Midlands.
The funding is part of Westminster’s wider push to ensure energy security and reach net zero emissions by 2050. But the Scottish Government says its pathway to net zero doesn’t include building new nuclear infrastructure.
While energy policy is largely reserved to the UK government, planning powers are devolved. That means Holyrood can effectively veto new nuclear projects in Scotland by blocking necessary permits and site approvals—a power it has exercised consistently since the SNP came to office.
Scotland’s last remaining active nuclear plant, Torness in East Lothian, is scheduled for decommissioning in 2030.
Scottish Labour vows to reverse SNP nuclear stance
The political consensus in Scotland, however, is not unanimous. Scottish Labour is openly challenging the SNP’s nuclear opposition and has promised to overturn the ban if it wins the 2026 Holyrood election.
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray told Good Morning Scotland that blocking nuclear investment was “wrongheaded.”
“Tens of thousands of jobs, thousands of apprenticeships, a real boost for local economies—these benefits are being missed because of a simplistic ban.”
Michael Shanks, MP for Rutherglen and a junior minister at Westminster’s Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, went further. Writing in The Scotsman, he accused the SNP of “delaying our clean energy future” and “costing communities jobs and investment.”
Both Murray and Shanks say a Scottish Labour government, led by Anas Sarwar, would welcome nuclear investment as part of a wider energy mix.
Industry says Scotland already benefits from UK nuclear
Despite not hosting new plants, Scottish firms are already profiting from the UK’s nuclear renaissance.
Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association and a former Scottish Labour MP, pointed to recent Oxford Economics data suggesting that nuclear work added £1.5 billion to Scotland’s economy in 2023 alone.
“Over 170 Scottish firms are involved in the supply chain for Hinkley Point C. That’s £280 million spent with Scottish companies, and hundreds of workers from Scotland employed on-site,” he told BBC Scotland.
Greatrex argues that when Torness shuts down, it will leave a void in low-carbon baseload energy that renewables alone can’t yet fill.
“Torness is the single biggest piece of low-carbon infrastructure in Scotland. Once it’s gone, carbon intensity will rise unless we replace it with something firm.”
SNP prefers renewables, CCS, and hydro
But the Scottish Government insists that nuclear isn’t needed.
Gillian Martin says the country’s renewable electricity generation is already exceeding what the grid can handle at times. Instead of investing in nuclear, she wants to expand hydroelectric capacity and push for carbon capture and storage (CCS) via the long-delayed Acorn project in Aberdeenshire.
She also noted that renewable energy offers quicker returns and more flexibility:
“We already have more renewable electricity than we can fit onto the grid. Hydro can fill the gaps, and CCS is essential for hitting net zero. If we don’t get UK government funding for Acorn, the entire UK loses out.”
The UK government is expected to address the Acorn project in its upcoming spending review, but similar promises in previous budgets have failed to materialise.
What Scots think
Polling suggests public opinion is more nuanced than party lines might suggest.
According to a recent NIA-commissioned survey:
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Over 50% of Scottish adults support nuclear power as part of a future energy mix.
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This includes a majority of SNP voters.
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Support is highest in regions near existing nuclear infrastructure, including East Lothian and Caithness.
Still, for now, government policy remains firmly anti-nuclear.
Energy Mix Snapshot: Scotland 2023
| Energy Source | Current Status | Policy Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Onshore Wind | Expanding | Supported |
| Offshore Wind | Significant investment | Strongly supported |
| Hydroelectric | Under-utilised | Expansion encouraged |
| Solar | Modest | Encouraged but less priority |
| Carbon Capture (CCS) | Pending UK funding | High priority |
| Nuclear (Torness) | Active until 2030 | No new facilities allowed |
| New Nuclear | None planned | Effectively banned by SNP |
While the SNP frames nuclear opposition as a matter of economic and environmental responsibility, critics argue that shutting the door on new projects could backfire:
Arguments for nuclear in Scotland:
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Stable baseload power to complement intermittent renewables
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Job creation and apprenticeship pipelines
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Domestic energy security
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Supply chain benefits already proven at Hinkley and Sizewell
SNP’s counter-position:
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Nuclear is expensive and slow to build
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Renewables are faster, cheaper, and cleaner
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Scotland’s geography suits hydro and wind
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CCS and energy storage offer non-nuclear firming options
The wider UK is banking on nuclear to meet its 2050 net zero targets. Scotland, meanwhile, is sticking to its guns—hoping that renewables, storage, and CCS can deliver the same reliability without atomic energy.
But with Torness set to go offline and no replacement planned, the question lingers: What will keep the lights on in a calm, dark winter a decade from now?
