The previous Conservative Government published a roadmap for
delivering 24GW of nuclear power onto the grid by 2050, as part
of the journey to net zero. The Labour Government has said that
nuclear is the only low-carbon technology proven capable of
delivering baseload power.
Following the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce's call for a “radical
reset” of nuclear regulation, the Prime Minister used the Autumn
Budget to provide a strategic steer setting out expectations for
the civil, defence and decommissioning sectors. The Government
says it aims to present a full implementation plan within three
months, and to complete sector reforms within the next two years.
On Wednesday 17 December, the Committee will open oral evidence
on the UK's nuclear roadmap, examining exactly what the Labour
Government's nuclear ambitions are and what the plan is for
delivering them. This follows on from its recent report on siting
nuclear infrastructure to meet the UK's nuclear power needs, in
which the Committee called for a planning “one-stop shop” to
finally overcome excessive costs and delays in deploying nuclear
energy.
In this first session, the Committee brings together scientists
and campaigners both for and against the expansion of nuclear
power to meet Britain's energy security needs. “Homegrown”
nuclear energy is designed to reduce dependence on volatile
international fossil-fuel markets, but large generating sites
create new risks too, including the possibility of attack by
hostile states. Are the Government's calculations on
these trade-offs right?
And with the key issue driving the energy transition being cost
to consumers, businesses and industry, can nuclear power be built
and delivered while bringing energy bills down?
On Wednesday 17 December
at 3pm
- Professor Fiona Rayment OBE, Visiting Professor at Dalton
Nuclear Institute, previously the Chief Science and Technology
Officer at the National Nuclear Laboratory
- Dr Doug Parr, Scientist and Policy Director at Greenpeace UK
- Professor Stephen Thomas, Emeritus Professor of Energy Policy
at University of Greenwich
- Sam Dumitriu, Head of Policy at Britain Remade
