UK nuclear power roadmap ‘signals shift’ in policy and approach

A recently published 'roadmap' for civil nuclear energy sets out plans for the biggest expansion of nuclear power for 70 years, with aims to reduce energy bills as well as supporting thousands of jobs and improving the UK’s overall energy security. The document sets out the UK government’s proposed approach to siting nuclear development and the steps that it intends to take in developing a new nuclear national policy statement (EN-7) to provide the planning policy basis for new nuclear developments beyond 2025. Also included are plans for the UK to increase generation of homegrown supply of “clean, reliable, and abundant energy” by up to four times to 24 gigawatts (GW) by 2050, which the government said would be enough to provide a quarter of the UK’s electricity need

The plan includes steps for exploring a “GW-scale” power plant capable of powering six million homes, with the government to invest up to £300 million in UK production of the fuel required to power high-tech new nuclear reactors. It also includes a government ambition to secure between three and seven GW worth of investment decisions on new nuclear projects every five years between 2030 and 2044.

The document “signals a shift in nuclear siting policy and proposes a departure from the previous siting process set out in EN-6 where specific sites were identified in the NPS [national planning policy statement] as being potentially suitable for nuclear development”, Michael Freeman of Pinsent Masons, who specialises in the regulation nuclear power, said.

The new EN-7 will be non-site-specific and will not be bound by a particular deployment date. Instead, it will set out generic criteria and assessment principles which developers will need to adhere to when seeking consent for development location. Freeman added: “This approach should be welcomed by the sector, particularly by developers of small modular reactors where the safety, risk and impact profile of smaller nuclear developers differs considerably from 1GW+ nuclear development”. He added that the government roadmap provides businesses with “significant flexibility in terms of revising and implementing their siting and development strategies.”

Nuclear energy project expert Graham Alty of Pinsent Masons said: “The vision for the increasing role of Great British Nuclear (GBN) is an exciting development and one which, if managed well, could really make a difference.”

GBN is a government funded body originally announced in the Energy Security Strategy in April 2022. GBN’s function is to drive delivery of new nuclear projects, with companies able to register their interest to participate in small modular reactor (SMR) competition for product development or to secure funding for future developments. The body is responsible for overseeing the UK government’s long term-nuclear program, aiming to deliver up to 24GW of nuclear power to the UK by 2050.

Freeman said: “It is particularly interesting to note the emphasis that the roadmap places on GBN’s delivery function, noting that GBN is developing its organisational capability to lead on the delivery of the government’s new nuclear programme and that it will provide access to sites and have the ability to undertake the role of developer.”