- Independent expert taskforce finds British nuclear projects
are being held back by costly and complex regulation
barriers.
- Radical “once-in-a-generation” reform is needed to tear down
barriers to faster, cheaper nuclear development, while
maintaining the highest safety standards.
- The government is delivering a golden age of new nuclear to
create thousands of good jobs and unlock investment as part of
the Plan for Change.
Nuclear projects which could create skilled jobs and growth are
being held back by regulatory barriers, an independent taskforce
commissioned by the government has found.
In its first report published today (11 August), the taskforce
says a “radical reset” is needed to speed up vital nuclear
projects and encourage more companies to build in Britain,
delivering a new golden age of nuclear with thousands of good
jobs and investment - supporting government's mission to make
Britain a clean energy superpower.
The taskforce, announced by the Prime Minister in February and
led by John Fingleton, former CEO of the Office of Fair Trading,
will today publish its interim report. The findings reveal an
“unnecessarily slow, inefficient and costly” system which is
hampering the delivery of clean energy infrastructure needed to
power Britain's future, as well as increasing costs of the UK's
vital nuclear deterrent.
Radical, once-in-a-generation reform could transform nuclear
delivery in several critical areas, while maintaining the highest
safety standards. These include overly complex and inconsistent
regulatory processes, risk-averse cultures that prioritise
bureaucracy over proportionate safety measures, and outdated
planning frameworks that fail to support new technologies like
small modular reactors.
It comes after the Chancellor announced action to reduce the
administrative cost of regulation by 25%.
Minister for Energy Consumers said:
“For too long, big British infrastructure projects have been held
back by needless bureaucracy.
“It's time for a new approach to getting nuclear projects off the
ground more quickly, and at a lower cost.
“We look forward to working with the expert taskforce to
modernise outdated regulations so we can unlock growth, jobs and
energy security for the British people.”
Nuclear Taskforce lead John Fingleton
said:
“Nuclear energy is safe and reliable and can contribute to
net zero goals. It is also vital to the UK's strategic
deterrent.
“However, over recent decades, nuclear regulation has become more
complex and costly without always delivering commensurate safety
and environmental benefits.
“Our interim report identifies our main concerns with the current
system which we think is not fit for purpose.
“With a view to recommending a once-in-a-generation reset, we now
invite views from interested parties on what solutions will
better enable the UK to achieve the huge benefits nuclear power
offers.”
The final report and recommendations will be published in the
autumn. As a first step, the government will work with the
taskforce to develop a new strategic direction for nuclear
operators and regulators to prioritise quick, effective and safe
delivery of nuclear programmes.
The government's nuclear programme is now the most ambitious for
a generation and reforms will be essential to unlock the
potential of the industry. Once small modular reactors and
Sizewell C come online in the 2030s, combined with Hinkley Point
C, this will deliver more new nuclear to the grid than over the
previous half century combined.
It follows government action earlier this year to shake up the
planning rules to make it easier to build nuclear across the
country – delivering cheaper clean power, energy security and
jobs.
The final report's recommendations will focus on:
- Tackling a culture of risk aversion and reluctance to
challenge and debate, impacting costs and time, to ensure that
risk management is proportionate.
- Addressing complex and inconsistent regulations, with
processes often duplicated across multiple overlapping
regulators.
- An outdated planning framework that doesn't support
innovative technologies such as small and advanced modular
reactors.
- Maintaining a range and depth of expertise across the
workforce.
- The potential for greater standardisation across
international regulators, which could cut down complexity, costs,
and delays when seeking approvals.
- Improving the regulatory understanding of the cost of project
delays to ensure safety measures are proportionate.
Notes to editors
