In a report produced by the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment, of which he is director, titled “Towards a low carbon pathway for the UK”, King said that the government was right to try to shift the transport sector to electric vehicles. He said that would enable low-carbon targets to be met, while continued reliance on fossil transport fuels would make it impossible to reach carbon targets, and also mean the country faced a £50 billion annual bill for petrol and diesel imports.
However, King said the government should take a targeted approach to achieving the carbon emissions reduction targets. Instead of leaving it to the market, the government should specify what proportion of the country’s electricity should come from nuclear, gas, renewables and other sources. “We have it the wrong way round. We have mechanisms but no end-view”, he told Utility Week.
King said there should be more nuclear in the mix, and said the government should also incentivise nuclear generators to use the country’s plutonium stockpile as fuel.