Plan to overhaul nuclear system will speed up building, strengthen national and energy security, and cut costs

Overhaul of Nuclear System to Speed Up Building and Cut Costs
Overhaul of Nuclear System to Speed Up Building and Cut Costs

The government is today outlining its comprehensive plans to speed up nuclear delivery after the independent Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce led by John Fingleton found an “overly complex” and “bureaucratic” system that favoured process over safe outcomes has held back the industry. The government is delivering reforms in a way that produces a win-win for building critical infrastructure while protecting nature and the environment.

The government is implementing the review’s recommendations, with all reforms expected to be completed by the end of 2027. These reforms could help speed up other types of infrastructure, such as looking at whether reforms to judicial reviews could apply to other major planning regimes.

The core of the plan is a move towards smarter regulation: proportionate, focused on real risk, rooted in evidence, and designed to effectively protect nature and biodiversity. This plan will support safe, cost effective, and rapid delivery across the entire civil and defence nuclear enterprise. The plan is expected to reduce the cost and timeframe of delivering new civil and defence nuclear projects, without compromising safety and environmental protections.

As part of its clean energy superpower mission and Industrial Strategy, the government is delivering a golden age of nuclear - greenlighting Sizewell C on the Suffolk coast which will support 17,000 jobs nationwide at peak construction, progressing Hinkley Point C in Somerset, backing the UK’s first small modular reactors at Wylfa in North Wales, and paving the way for further projects across the country with international partners.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:

Defence Secretary John Healey said:

To further unlock innovation in Britain’s nuclear industry, over 500 doctoral students will be trained at universities across the country over 4 annual intakes, quadrupling today’s intake of nuclear PhDs.

Government is backing 7 research programmes with £65.6 million new funding, delivered by UK Research and Innovation, from University of Bangor in North Wales to the University of Glasgow in Scotland to Imperial College London, investing in the next generation of scientists and engineers to support the clean energy mission and the nuclear deterrent.

The funding, which will be matched by industry partners, will support cutting-edge research such as advanced nuclear reactor components, nuclear waste disposal, innovative nuclear fuels and materials, and research of critical importance to national security and keeping the UK safe. 

Meanwhile the Defence Nuclear Enterprise (DNE) – the partnership of organisations that operate, renew, and maintain the UK’s nuclear deterrent – is projected to support 65,000 highly skilled, well-paid jobs by 2030, and depends on precisely the kind of sovereign technical talent this funding will develop.   

The government is also constructing 4 new Dreadnought-class submarines that will deliver the next generation of the UK’s independent nuclear deterrent, the replacement of the nuclear warhead, and major upgrades and investments across defence nuclear industrial sites and naval bases.

Mike Finnerty, Chief Nuclear Inspector and Chief Executive of the Office for Nuclear Regulation, said:  

Andy Mayall, Deputy Director of Nuclear and Radioactive Substances Regulation Strategy at the Environment Agency, said:  

Simon Roddy, Chief Executive of Great British Energy – Nuclear, said: 

Nigel Cann, CEO of Sizewell C, said: 

 

Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, National Officer for Nuclear at the GMB, said:  

David Peattie, CEO of Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Group, said:  

Sue Ferns OBE, Senior Deputy General Secretary of Prospect, said: 

Sir Alex Chisholm, UK Chair at EDF, said:  

Chris O’Shea, Chief Executive of Centrica Group, said:  

Alistair Black, Vice-President, X-energy said:  

Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: 

Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: 

Professor Charlotte Deane, Executive Chair at UKRI’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council said:

Julianne Antrobus, CEO of United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory (UKNNL), said: 

Harry Holt DSO OBE, Chief Executive – Nuclear and Deputy CEO for Babcock International Group, said: 

Notes to Editors

The Prime Minister commissioned the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce last year.

All reforms are expected to be completed by the end of 2027, subject to legislative timelines.

The funding for doctoral students is being provided by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Ministry of Defence as part of the Nuclear Skills Plan, which brings together government, industry, and education providers to deliver the skilled workforce and 24,000 additional jobs required in the nuclear sector by 2030. The doctoral funding awards will be delivered by UK Research and Innovation.

The Environment Secretary has today provided regulatory justification for the Rolls-Royce SMR. Following the Nuclear Regulatory Review reforms to justify this type of reactor, this could be the last light water reactor to individually go through this step.

The Housing Secretary has today published a roadmap setting out how the government will bring forward Environmental Outcomes Reports to support the delivery of housing and infrastructure.