NIA Response to the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee’s ‘Planning for Nuclear Energy Generation’ Inquiry

The NIA is the trade association and representative body for the civil nuclear industry in the UK. We represent more than 300 companies operating across all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle, including the current and prospective operators of nuclear power stations, international designers, and vendors of nuclear power stations, and those engaged in decommissioning, waste management and nuclear liabilities management. Members also include nuclear equipment suppliers, engineering and construction firms, nuclear research organisations, and legal, financial and consultancy companies.

Executive summary

We welcome the inclusion of Small Modular Reactors and Advanced Modular Reactors in the National Policy Statement for Nuclear Energy Generation, the implementation of a criteria-based approach to siting, and the removal of deployment deadlines from the planning framework for new nuclear. We encourage Government to further review the siting criteria of EN-7 — including ending the current use of the Semi Urban Population Density Criterion — to ensure that the opportunities associated with advanced nuclear technologies (ANTs) can be accommodated and leveraged to support the net zero energy transition.

The Semi Urban Population Density Criterion (SUPDC) is not appropriate for modern reactor technologies, whether large-scale, SMR or AMR because its underpinning does not reflect the latest evidence about the safety of nuclear reactors. In the immediate term, it prevents nuclear development at Heysham, a site designated in EN-6 as suitable for nuclear development and a prime site for SMR deployment. It may also obstruct full development at Hartlepool, another EN-6 site.

The Nuclear Industry Association’s initial preferred solution is to end use of the SUPDC and allow use of sites that meet the pre-existing requirement that a location must be suitable for the establishment of an adequate emergency plan in accordance with nuclear site licence conditions and the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations (REPPIR). This process already allows developers to present evidence for why emergency planning zones can be reduced based on the safety features and performance of their reactor. Other solutions are possible, however.

The NIA is preparing a more detailed analysis and recommendations with its members for submission to the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce by 8 September and will share that with the committee.

Click here to view our response.

Further Information

The NIA is happy to provide more context, or any clarifications desired on the content of our response and to ask our members where appropriate for additional information that may be useful.

Please contact Elisabeth Roden, Policy Analyst for the Nuclear Industry Association, at [email protected] to do this.