How bold are London's nuclear plans?

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LONDON, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- London aims to keep nuclear power as part of its energy mix, though the country hasn't built a new nuclear reactor in more than 20 years.

British Energy Secretary Chris Huhne had said that Japan's nuclear disaster in March "changed the energy debate" surrounding nuclear energy.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in response to the nuclear disaster, ordered eight of the country's 17 nuclear reactors closed by year's end and a total shutdown by 2022.

Huhne, however, said his government's review of regulatory and safety mechanisms reassured him that nuclear energy would continue to play a role in Britain's energy mix.

The Financial Times, however, reports there are concerns about the ability to go ahead with nuclear power given that the energy sector hasn't built a new reactor in more than 20 years.

As part of a restructuring of the British energy sector, the country aims to build 12 new reactors by the middle of the next decade.

Huhne said last month, however, that London would continue to embrace nuclear power for the foreseeable future.

"So with my eyes open, and with a nervous look at the past, I say that we need nuclear to be a part of our energy mix in the future," he said.