At least 15 GW of nuclear is essential by 2035 to strengthening energy security says Nuclear APPG
As Britain looks for ways to strengthen its energy security and wean itself off imported gas the Nuclear APPG has outlined five steps for government to kickstart the UK’s nuclear revival.
The Prime Minister, this week, outlined his intention to make a ‘series of big new bets on nuclear’, highlighting the need for baseload energy – power that can be relied upon when the sun isn’t shining, or the wind isn’t blowing. Nuclear is clean, reliable and sovereign, and the APPG fully supports the government’s intention of including announcements on Small Modular Reactors and large power stations in its upcoming Energy Strategy.
The Nuclear APPG’s five points are:
- BE AMBITIOUS: Define a target in the Government’s Nuclear Roadmap for Deployment of 15GW by 2035, and at least 30GW by 2050. This would show the UK is serious and committed to fleet deployments of large, small and advanced reactors
- GET THE FINANCING RIGHT: By Easter, classify nuclear as green in the UK sustainable investment taxonomy and make nuclear eligible under the Green Financing Framework
- ACCELERATE PROJECT TIMELINES: Get Sizewell C to Final Investment Decision within 12 months, allocate pre-development funding to the Bechtel/Westinghouse joint venture for Wylfa today, order 10 SMRs in this Parliament, and advance other large and small scale projects
- GIVE DEVELOPERS ACCESS TO LAND: Give the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority a mandate to lease unused nuclear sites to prospective developers, and make it clear that private owners of potential sites must make land available for nuclear development
- SUPPORT PROJECT DEVELOPMENT: Streamline the Development Consent Order process and enable developers to carry out multiple planning, consenting and licencing requirements concurrently, saving time without compromising on standards. Give all relevant regulatory bodies a net zero obligation. Assign additional money to the Future Nuclear Enabling Fund and publish details on bidding criteria and process
Ian Liddell-Grainger MP, Chair of the Nuclear APPG said:
“A lot of focus is quite rightly on how we insulate ourselves from volatile imported energy, and the Government is wise to look to nuclear energy to provide the sovereign, reliable power we require to get to net zero. The five steps the Nuclear APPG is setting out today would enable the UK to deliver such nationally critical infrastructure as urgently as it is needed.”
Virginia Crosbie, Ynys Môn MP, said:
“The Wylfa site on Anglesey is the best place in the UK to house a new large nuclear plant. I could not agree more that we need to be ambitious, and I fully support these five steps. A statement of intent on that ambition would be the greenlight for Wylfa along with other projects. Doing so will make a huge difference to our country’s future and should be done without delay.”
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
- The UK has six generating nuclear power stations, providing around 16% of the country’s electricity.
- Nuclear power has saved the UK 2.32 billion tonnes of carbon emissions, far more than any other source. The saving is equivalent to all UK emissions from 2015 through 2020.
- Three stations will retire by March 2024, and all but one will retire by 2030.
About the Nuclear APPG
The APPG on Nuclear Energy provides a forum for MPs and Peers to engage with leading businesses and organisations that are working to enable the UK to meet its decarbonisation targets through the implementation of civil nuclear projects, and to discuss policy options to support these.
It is a cross-party group of MPs and Peers that focuses on raising awareness of and building support for nuclear energy projects that will enable the UK to meet decarbonisation targets.
Source: Nuclear Industry Association