The government has announced its intention to facilitate the construction of nuclear mini-centrals in England and Wales, within the framework of its efforts to stimulate the economic growth of the United Kingdom.
He said he would reform “archaic” planning rules which, according to the ministers, have retained Great Britain in the world race for clean, safe and affordable energy.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the country had been “disappointed and left” because it had not built a nuclear power plant in “decades” – and that the plans will create thousands of highly qualified jobs.
Unions and business groups welcomed this decision, but environmentalists criticized the government, saying that it “swallowed the whole nuclear industry”.
Nuclear energy provides around 15% of the United Kingdom electricity, but many aging reactors in the country should be put out of service during the next decade.
The nuclear mini -centrals – or small modular reactors (SMR) – are smaller and less expensive than traditional nuclear power plants and produce much less power.
The plans announced Thursday will mark the first time that SMRS will be included in planning rules. A list of only places where a nuclear reactor could be built will also be deleted. The list was made up of only eight sites.
Sir Keir said that the energy security of Great Britain had been “owned hostage” by Russian President Vladimir Putin for “too long”, which has caused prices “arrow to his whims”.
“I end this-to change the rules to support the manufacturers of this nation, and to say no to the blockers who have strangled our chances of energy, growth and cheaper jobs for too long,” he explain.
The process of choosing to loosen the rules on the construction of nuclear reactors began under the Conservative government of Rishi Sunak with a consultation in January 2024.
The ministers have said that Great Britain is considered one of the most expensive countries in the world in which nuclear energy construction, and a new nuclear regulatory working group will be established to accelerate the approval of new conceptions of Reactors and a line of flow, the way developers engage with regulators.
The conservative secretary of ghost energy, Andrew Bowie, said that it was “time”, the work followed the example of his party by recognizing the advantages “of stable, reliable nuclear energy and base”.
But Doug Parr, director of policies at Greenpeace UK, said that the government had not applied “as much as a pinch of critical control or to request a pinch of evidence”.
“The Labor Government has swallowed (the nuclear industry runs entirely,” he said, adding: “They present themselves as things that are only optimistic conjectures on the cost of nuclear reactors, the speed of delivery and security. “
The chief of the Nuclear Industry Association, Tom Greatrex, described the reforms the “strongest signal to date” towards growth and clean power.
Gary Smith, secretary general of GMB, said that the union said on several occasions “there can be no net without new nuclear”.
Referring to Sizewell C, the Suffolk Coast site on which Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised a new nuclear reactor in 2022, he added: “(he) is ready and waits for the green light to set up the future of our country. “
The government has not yet made a final decision on Sizewell C, which is not due to its expenditure review later this year. The final choice on the design of SMRs will also be at the same time.
Currently, progress in the construction of nuclear power plants in the United Kingdom may be slow – to move from “power” planning can take almost 20 years. Consultations for Sizewell took only 10 years.
On Wednesday, the joint managing director of Sizewell C, Julia Pyke, described the project as “the next step” in the journey to growth and energy security.
