Nuclear gets charged up – Energy Live News

Britain’s new nuclear age has begun.

The government is overhauling planning rules to fast-track the construction of nuclear power plants across England and Wales, aiming to secure clean, homegrown energy and drive economic growth.

New reforms will remove restrictions on where nuclear plants can be built, clearing the way for small modular reactors (SMRs) to be deployed nationwide for the first time. The move is designed to attract investment, slash planning delays and ensure the UK is no longer held back by outdated regulations.

More nuclear, faster

For years, nuclear development has been restricted to just eight designated sites, including Hinkley Point and Sizewell. The government is now scrapping this list, allowing nuclear plants to be built wherever they are needed most.

SMRs, which are cheaper and quicker to construct than traditional reactors, will be included in planning rules for the first time, enabling them to co-locate with energy-intensive industries such as AI data centres. Developers will be encouraged to bring forward new sites at the pre-application stage, cutting overall timelines and streamlining the approval process.

To avoid further delays, the expiry date on nuclear planning rules will be removed, allowing long-term projects to proceed without being timed out by bureaucratic hurdles.

This country hasn’t built a nuclear power station in decades. We’ve been let down, and left behind. 

Our energy security has been hostage to Putin for too long, with British prices skyrocketing at his whims.  

I’m putting an end to it – changing the rules to back the builders of this nation and saying no to the blockers who have strangled our chances of cheaper energy, growth and jobs for far too long. 

My government was elected to deliver change. I’ll take the radical decisions needed to wrestle Britain from its status quo slumber, to turbocharge our plan for change.”

Prime Minister Kier Starmer

Cutting high cost of UK nuclear

The UK is one of the most expensive places in the world to build nuclear power stations, with excessive regulations driving up costs. Hinkley Point C, the only nuclear project currently under construction, has seen its price tag balloon to £46 billion, partly due to complex planning requirements.

Under the new plan, the government will establish a nuclear regulatory taskforce to cut unnecessary red tape and speed up approvals for new reactor designs. The taskforce will also look at better aligning UK regulations with international standards, ensuring reactors approved abroad can be greenlit more quickly.

The system will be overhauled to reduce duplication and simplify interactions between multiple regulators, helping developers get projects off the ground without years of costly legal battles.

Safety will still be prioritised

Despite the regulatory shake-up, the government insists strict nuclear safety standards will remain in place. There will still be clear restrictions on building reactors near densely populated…