NIA Response to the Environmental Audit Committee’s ‘Addressing the Risks from PFAS’ 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

PFAS are crucial for nuclear power plants, fuel enrichment facilities and decommissioning operations, which in turn are essential for realising the Government’s net zero and energy security objectives. In the nuclear industry, there are currently no adequate replacements that could offer the same performance and reliability as PFAS. Nuclear power plants in particular have many moving parts that must operate safely for decades in harsh conditions, including high temperatures, pressures, radiation, and interfaces with corrosive substances.

The industry is certainly open to alternatives, but under the very strict regulatory regimes to which nuclear is subject, any alternatives would need to be developed, tested and proven that they would be safe for decades, in a rigorous and lengthy process.

Moreover, the use of PFAS on nuclear sites is also carefully tracked and managed throughout their operational life. The materials will not end up where they could bio-accumulate, which the industry recognises is an overarching concern more generally in other areas around the use of PFAs.

For nuclear use, we therefore encourage a pragmatic approach to the use of PFAS, given the industry’s demand for high safety performance and its rigorous approach to ensuring these materials do not pose an environmental hazard throughout their lifecycle.

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.