Editorial

Philip Dewhurst
NIA Chairman



The publication of the Government’s energy review on 11 July confirmed that “We (the Government) have concluded that new nuclear power stations would make a significant contribution to meeting our energy policy goals.” That statement of government support for new nuclear build, together with measures to streamline the planning and licensing procedures, a commitment to a mechanism to value carbon, and progress on waste management, mark a significant step forward for the nuclear industry and provide the opportunity for a renewal of nuclear energy in the UK.

Although that outcome was widely expected, following statements by the Prime Minister and senior Cabinet Ministers, it nevertheless represents a major achievement by the nuclear industry and by the NIA in particular. For the small team at NIA the review was the culmination of many months of hard and effective work. They have made the case for new nuclear build as part of the solution to meeting Britain’s energy and environmental challenges. Their success in raising the profile of the industry and its case in Government, Parliament, the media and with the wider public, and in coordinating the industry’s activities and vigorously debating the issues, has contributed to a better understanding and wider acceptance of nuclear energy. I wish to congratulate Keith Parker and all his team for their excellent work on the review.
However, the outcome of the review is only the first step towards the reality of new nuclear build. The detailed arrangements to put in place the planning framework for new build will be the subject of another round of consultation by the end of October. That consultation will, in turn, inform a White Paper to be published around the turn of the year. The argument for nuclear to be part of the future energy mix has been accepted, but there is a great deal more work to be done in translating that into a successful project. While this is a time for congratulations, it is not a time for complacency, aspect of a proposal can be examined in detail in a local enquiry and at every subsequent enquiry into the same type of facility. The energy sector generally has argued that national policy issues such as the need for more gas storage or the desirability of nuclear power for instance should be dealt with at a national level. Local aspects should quite rightly continue to be dealt with at a local level.

The government has accepted the rationale for this approach and shown a clear intention to bring forward legislative proposals to implement it.

Next steps
A range of measures across the energy sector has emerged from the review. The key ones that will effect nuclear are:

Developing a framework for new nuclear power to cover all the relevant issues for nuclear new build. The government is consulting on this now with a view to bringing out a White Paper around the turn of the year.

Further development of the pre-licensing proposals is also part of the consultation.

Simplified and predictable planning procedures. The government will consult on new rules for applications under the Electricity Act in the Autumn for implementation in 2007 and general planning changes will also be proposed in the Autumn when the Barker Review of Land Use Planning reports.

The NIA will be working on an industry-wide response to the consultation on the framework for new nuclear build over the coming months in order to be able to submit it by the deadline of the end of October. We will be consulting member companies on this over the summer.

Opposition view
While the Liberal Democrats have maintained their rather predictable anti-nuclear stance, the Conservative Party have issued a more constructive energy review policy document, despite describing nuclear as the "last resort". The Conservative document however backs all the key provisions of the Government's proposals in respect of nuclear including strengthening the carbon market, streamlining the planning process