Last week, the government committed to phase out Russian oil by the end of the year in response to Russia's aggressive actions in Ukraine.
Writing in the Telegraph, Johnson said that his government wanted to “exploit the potential” of renewable energy technologies including tidal power, hydro and geothermal energy but that consistent baseload electricity generation could be met with nuclear when renewables aren’t generating.
The strategy would include small modular reactors as well as more traditional, larger power stations.
“It was the UK that first split the atom. It was the UK that had the world’s first civilian nuclear power plant. It is time we recovered our lead,” Johnson wrote.
Just last month, the UK Office for Nuclear Regulation approved the design for a new nuclear power plant to be built in Bradwell, Essex.
Johnson also offered some words of encouragement to the UK’s domestic fossil fuel producers.
“It is crazy that we are importing oil...