Up to now potential nuclear programmes have been limited to eight designated sites but the removal of this restriction along with others including more streamlined environmental and regulatory assessment should open the way for deployments anywhere in England and Wales (Scotland and Northern Ireland being devolved).
While the only nuclear programme currently under construction is Hinkley Point C in southwest England, a large scale 3,200MW facility that has seen multiple delays, the new rules also open the way for the widespread deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) that can be built more rapidly and cheaply.
As such they should support the drive for decarbonisation, particularly of industry.
“Build, build, build – that is what Britain’s clean energy mission is all about,” said Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.
“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.”
Alongside reforms to the siting process, a specialist taskforce is being formed to lead on ensuring nuclear regulation incentivises investment, delivering new projects more quickly and cost efficiently and speeding up the approval of new reactor designs, including those approved in other countries.
Industry response
The proposals have been widely welcomed across the industry.
Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said this is the 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.”
Simon Bowen, Chair of Great British Nuclear, which is coordinating the country’s nuclear industry, describes nuclear energy as 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.
He highlighted also the opportunities it presents to co-locate nuclear energy generation on data centre sites and to decarbonise industrial processes.
As part of its work, Great British Nuclear is currently in contract negotiations to progress the small modular reactor competition with the four shortlisted companies, GE Hitachi, Holtec, Rolls Royce SMR and Westinghouse.
Alistair Black, Senior Director, UK at X-energy, which with Cavendish Nuclear has indicated plans to build a fleet of up to 40 SMRs in the UK, said that opening up new siting opportunities will help unlock tens of billions of pounds of investment and growth across the country.
“We welcome this step today, and the intent to streamline assessment processes whilst ensuring robust regulatory standards continue to be met.”
X-Energy has just closed a $700 million funding round, with investors including Amazon, to advance its Xe-100 80MWe advanced SMR technology.
The initial plant is under development at Dow’s UCC Seadrift Operations manufacturing site on the Texas Gulf Coast and expected to be the first grid-scale advanced nuclear reactor deployed to serve an industrial site in North America.
The proposals are out for consultation until 3 April.
