The Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) welcomes the chance to respond to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s ‘Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system’ consultation.
The NIA is the trade association and representative body for the civil nuclear industry in the UK. We represent around 280 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.
Due to the diversity of our membership, our views in this submission will cover high-level, industrywide matters. Our members may choose to make their own detailed submissions.
Executive Summary
The NIA welcomes the positive intent in ‘Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system’ consultation and the recognition of the importance of reforming the planning system to unlock clean energy.
Nuclear is essential to the UK’s energy mix as the only single technology that can provide clean, firm, and sovereign electricity, as well as providing a source of clean heat at scale. Nuclear currently supplies around 15% of our electricity from just over half a square mile of land, and according to United Nations’ analysis, nuclear has the lowest lifecycle carbon, lowest land use, and lowest impact on ecosystems of any electricity source.
We strongly support efforts outlined in this consultation to reform the planning system as the functioning of the planning regime has been challenging for energy projects. In particular, the system has not been proportional in assessing projects and considering the urgency of deploying low carbon energy sources to combat the climate crisis.
We would encourage the Government to apply a Net Zero Duty on all relevant public authorities to ensure proportionality in the planning system to facilitate and expedite the delivery of low carbon energy projects.
Please click here to view our full response.
