In a bid for more power to drive his government’s growth agenda, the prime minister has set out to usher in a new age of nuclear energy, but not everyone’s convinced
The government has set out its ambitions to go big on nuclear power – or rather small – with plans to permit the construction of small modular reactors (SMRs) in Britain for the first time.
As ever, with ministerial pronouncements, it seems the ‘secret sauce’ for stimulating growth is to cut regulations – or red tape – and so the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) has announced a ‘ripping up of the rules’ to clear the path for more nuclear reactors.
SMRs, as the name indicates, are smaller and easier to build than the traditional behemoths; they’re gaining interest around the world as a potential source of low-cost energy that can help decarbonise power.
So, in his government’s quest for growth, prime minister Keir Starmer has decided Britain should carve itself a larger slice of the nuclear pie; it’s one way to fuel those AI superpower cravings.
Starmer said: “This country hasn’t built a nuclear power station in decades. we’ve been let down, and left behind. Our energy security has been hostage to Putin for too long, with British prices skyrocketing at his whims.
“I’m putting an end to it – changing the rules to back the builders of this nation, and saying no to the blockers who have strangled our chances of cheaper energy, growth and jobs for far too long.
“My government was elected to deliver change. I’ll take the radical decisions needed to wrestle Britain from its status quo slumber, to turbocharge our plan for change.”
Suffocating claim
The government claims the UK’s nuclear presence has been “suffocated by regulations” that “saw investment collapse”, leaving only one power plant – Hinkley Point C – under construction.
Meanwhile, invoking a kind of international ‘arms race’ of nuclear energy prowess, DESNZ points to China constructing 29 reactors, and the EU with 12 at planning stage.
As the department says in its announcement, this is “giving these places a huge advantage in the global race to harness new technologies, create jobs and deliver cleaner, cheaper, independent energy”.
The government’s reforms, and a “refreshed” planning framework, will – it is claimed – help to streamline the process of commissioning and construction new facilities, encourage investment, and enable developers to identify the best sites for their projects, thereby supporting the construction of nuclear power plants at a wider range of location.
Furthermore, developers will be encouraged to bring forward sites as soon as possible at the pre-application stage in the planning process, speeding up overall timelines.
Nuclear intelligence
Emphasis is given to the inclusion in the plans of nuclear technologies such as small and advanced modular reactors for the first time. The inclusions of SMRs ties the nuclear plan in with the prime minister’s recent pledge to transform the UK into an AI superpower.
The reforms will, it is claimed, provide the flexibility to co-locate these smaller scale nuclear power plants with energy intensive industrial sites such as AI data centres.
Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband said: “Build, build, build – that is what Britain’s clean energy mission is all about. The British people have been left vulnerable to global energy markets for too long – and the only way out is to build our way to a new era of clean electricity. Nuclear power creating thousands of skilled jobs. That is what this government will deliver.”
The reform package covers:
- The inclusion mini-nuclear power stations in planning rules for the first time
- Scrapping the set list of eight sites
- Removing the expiry date on nuclear planning rules – so projects don’t get timed out and industry can plan for the long term
- Setting up a Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce – that will spearhead improvements to the regulations to help more companies build here. This will report directly to the prime minister
However, DESZ says there will also continue to be “robust criteria” for nuclear reactor locations, including restrictions near densely populated areas and military activity, alongside community engagement and high environmental standards.
Alongside reforms to the siting process, the specialist taskforce will lead on making sure nuclear regulation “incentivises investment”, to deliver new projects more quickly and cost efficiently, while upholding high safety and security standards.
The taskforce will also serve to speed up the approval of new reactor designs and streamline how developers engage with regulators. Nuclear regulation will cover both civil and defence nuclear to help unlock economic growth in the sector.
Furthermore, the taskforce will “better align” the UK with international partners so reactor designs approved abroad could be green lit more quickly, minimising expensive changes.
Great British Nuclear also continues to progress the small modular reactor competition, with contract negotiations currently underway.
Industry reaction
Unsurprisingly, the government’s nuclear plan has gone down well among certain quarters, with plenty of industry bodies welcoming the move, as well as security and tech figures, too.
Gary Smith, general secretary of the GMB union, said: “GMB has long said there can be no net zero without new nuclear. For too long, the failure to deliver new nuclear has weakened our energy security and undermined economic growth. Sizewell C stands ready and waiting for the green light to power up our country’s future. Now we need to see spades in the ground without delay.”
Alistair Black, senior director, UK at X-energy said: “Opening up new siting opportunities for a fleet of advanced reactors will help unlock tens of billions of pounds of investment and growth across the country, bringing clean secure electricity and heat for industry.
“We welcome this step today, and the intent to streamline assessment processes whilst ensuring robust regulatory standards continue to be met. We look forward to reviewing this in detail and responding to the consultation.”
Simone Rossi, chief executive of EDF in the UK, said: “As a major operator, investor and developer, EDF welcomes the proposals designed to speed up new nuclear projects in the UK and unlock economic growth.
“Nuclear is essential to a secure, low carbon energy system and is the ideal partner to renewables. There is a great opportunity to build new infrastructure across England and Wales, to replace ageing stations and take advantage of available skills, existing grid connections and supportive communities.
“The opportunity will only be fully realised with the necessary reforms to planning and regulation, alongside continuing to build on the critical work at Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C to further develop skills and supply chains.”
Simon Bowen, chair of Great British Nuclear, said: “Nuclear energy is a powerful tool for growing the UK’s economy. By expanding the range of sites where safe, secure, reliable, and clean nuclear energy plants can be built, there is huge potential to positively transform areas facing economic uncertainty.
“[This] announcement also signals exciting opportunities to co-locate nuclear energy generation on data centre sites and to decarbonise industrial processes.
“Nuclear is one of the safest and cleanest forms of energy generation. The new independent nuclear regulation taskforce will help unlock growth and investment by providing clarity and certainty while ensuring regulations are fit for purpose.”
Power point
Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: “This is the prime minister’s strongest signal yet that new nuclear is critical to the growth and clean power mission. A more streamlined planning system will give certainty to investors, the supply chain and communities, and will enable us to get on with building new nuclear plants on more sites and at pace for a cleaner, more secure power system.
“We need to make Britain the best possible place to build new nuclear, both large-scale and SMRs, which means avoiding unnecessary stumbling blocks and ensuring regulations are proportionate to our urgent need for low carbon power, energy security and good jobs.”
Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, said: “The government’s ambition to drive forward a new generation of nuclear power after decades of delay is exactly what Britain needs.
“Nuclear is not only essential for hitting our Net Zero goals and maintaining energy security, it also creates thousands of good, well-paid jobs in areas of the country where they are sorely needed.
“Speeding up the approval of new sites and new reactors is an important step towards enabling investment in new nuclear. The government’s support for Sizewell C is also a welcome vote of confidence in the sector and bringing this project to a Final Investment Decision will provide a strong foundation for its future growth.
“The success of Britain’s world class nuclear sector is built on a robust regulatory process, and we welcome a review of this framework to ensure it is supporting investment while still providing assurance that high safety standards are being maintained.”
Cathal O’Rourke, Laing O’Rourke’s group chief executive, said: “This announcement is a significant step forward for the UK’s nuclear industry. The clarity provided by these new planning rules, the focus on streamlining the regulatory process, and the emphasis on standardising reactor designs is precisely the sort of clear, unequivocal direction the industry needs.
“Having played a central role in delivering nuclear capacity at Hinkley Point C, we understand the complexities of these projects first-hand and these new measures, particularly around regulatory reform and streamlined planning, will be invaluable in ensuring future projects, like Sizewell C, can be delivered more efficiently and cost-effectively.
“In particular, standardisation and an industrialised approach will be key to driving down costs and accelerating construction timelines, ensuring we can deploy new nuclear capacity efficiently and at pace by adopting a ‘copy, improve, repeat’ approach to design and implementation. This type of approach would also improve worker welfare conditions on site from a physical and wellbeing perspective.
“This clear signal from government will unlock investment, create jobs nationwide for shared prosperity, including an ability to plan for long-term investment in apprenticeships, and ensure the UK can benefit from clean, locally supplied nuclear power for generations to come.”
Chris Conboy, managing director, nuclear EMEA at AtkinsRéalis, said: “We welcome plans to accelerate new nuclear developments. Speeding up lengthy planning processes would help to bring forward new projects faster, strengthening the UK’s world-class nuclear supply chain and creating jobs and skills across the country.
“Nuclear will be the cornerstone of a reliable net zero energy system. We need both large and small nuclear technologies to realise our AI ambitions, bolster our energy security, and enable the sustainable development of towns, cities and industries across the UK: building the right technology in the right locations is vital to power the UK’s growth agenda and meet our net zero goals.”
National security
David Omand, former director of GCHQ, said: “It is very welcome to see this government pushing forward on their commitment to national security by making the UK more energy secure and speeding up nuclear power to boost growth across the country.
“Nuclear is critical to national security, and taking this kind of action is a mark of the seriousness with which Keir Starmer takes the challenges of modern geopolitics. I fully support this push to knock down barriers to safe, modern nuclear as part of the nation’s critical infrastructure.”
Kim Darroch, former national security adviser, said: “As a former national security adviser, I think driving for as much homegrown clean power as possible in this age of global turbulence should be among our top national security objectives. So I welcome the prime minister’s intervention to accelerate the regeneration of our nuclear power industry.”
Julian David OBE, chief executive, techUK said: “If we want the UK economy to keep growing, we must invest in our energy infrastructure. We are pleased to see the Government announce new plans to reform planning rules to expand new energy generation. This move will boost the economy, create new jobs, and ensure the UK is not reliant on external agents for its own energy supply.”
Darren Hardman, chief executive of Microsoft UK, said: “We welcome the government’s plans to accelerate the building of safe, modern nuclear as part of the energy mix. Economic growth will require increased energy supply for the UK, but we must not lose sight of our ambitions for a fully decarbonised grid.”
Not everyone is quite so sanguine about Starmer’s nuclear vision, however. Environmental organisation, Friends of the Earth (FOE) takes the view that ministers should focus on renewables and better energy storage – “not overblown, costly hype offered by the nuclear industry”.
Mike Childs, FOE’s head of policy, said: “Nuclear power is extremely expensive and creates a legacy of radioactive waste that lasts for thousands of years.
“The Hinkley C nuclear plant in Somerset, which is a decade late and almost £30bn over budget, makes HS2 look like a runaway success.
“Once, the nuclear industry promised electricity too cheap to meter, now we are being told they’ll deliver small modular reactors at an affordable price.
“If ministers want to build a clean, affordable and energy secure future they should focus on renewables such as wind and solar and better energy storage – not the overblown, costly hype offered by the nuclear industry.”
Main image: Construction work at Hinkley Point C. Credit: EDF Energy
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