Extract from Lords repeat of Commons statement on 10-point Plan: Six Months On - May 19
Thursday, 20 May 2021 07:55
Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Lab) [V]: My Lords, I was surprised
that there was no mention of SMRs or AMRs in the Statement. The
original plan says that “further investment in small modular
reactors and Advanced Modular Reactors” will be made, and mentions
sums of £125 million and £170 million respectively. Can the
Minister update us on where we are on that regarding both the spend
to date and whether the rather larger sums that were due to be
brought in from the private sector have...Request free trial
(Lab) [V]: My Lords, I was surprised
that there was no mention of SMRs or AMRs in the Statement. The
original plan says that
“further investment in small modular reactors and Advanced
Modular Reactors”
will be made, and mentions sums of £125 million and £170 million
respectively. Can the Minister update us on where we are on that
regarding both the spend to date and whether the rather larger sums
that were due to be brought in from the private sector have
actually been forthcoming? Can he also confirm that phase 2 of the
SMR proposals is still due by the end of 2021? If so, could he give
us a bit more clarity about the dates?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy () (Con): The
noble Lord is right to draw attention to the importance of nuclear
generation in the mix of fuels that we will need to take forward. I
am happy to provide an update for him. I am delighted to see that
the noble Lord, , is fully in
agreement with this.
The PM has confirmed the Government’s commitment to advancing
large, small and advanced reactors as part of our 10-point plan for
the green industrial revolution. We have announced £385 million in
an advanced nuclear fund to invest further in the next generation
of nuclear technology, subject of course to value for money and
future spending rounds. The advanced nuclear fund announced as part
of the 10-point plan includes funding of up to £215 million for
small modular reactors and up to £170
million for advanced modular reactors. We are also investing up to
an additional £40 million in developing the regulatory frameworks,
including developing, funding and siting policies for small modular reactors to which the
noble Lord referred, and supporting UK supply chains in helping to
bring these technologies to market...
To read all the exchanges, CLICK
HERE
|
