Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to slash the red tape in his pursuit of building new nuclear reactors across England and Wales.
“This country hasn’t built a nuclear power station in decades. we’ve been let down, and left behind,” Starmer said in a statement on Thursday.
He pledged that the government would “rip up archaic rules” as part of its reforms to the nation’s planning rules to make it easier to build nuclear reactors. He also said that new sites across the country will be made available for new power plants.
Britain’s energy security has been held hostage by Russian President Vladimir Putin for too long, with the nation’s prices skyrocketing at his whims, Starmer said.
“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,” he said.
The government wants to clear a path for smaller and easier to build nuclear power plants that are known as small modular reactors (SMRs).
SMRs are attracting increasing attention from officials and investors as a means of producing more power while meeting clean energy targets. As they can be prefabricated and then assembled on site, SMRs require lower capital costs and shorter construction times than conventional reactors.
The U.K. currently has only one nuclear power plant–Hinkley Point C–under construction, and eight other sites are approved for nuclear development.
The government is now encouraging developers to put forward more sites for planning approval so that SMRs can be built in the places that need them. A Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce will be set up to deliver new projects more quickly and cost efficiently.
Hinkley Point C in Somerset is being developed by the French nuclear company EDF, but it’s years behind schedule and billions of pounds over budget.
EDF is also working with the U.K. government to develop another nuclear plant in Suffolk at Sizewell, but the cost of that project has reportedly doubled since it was approved in 2020. Last month, France’s state auditor said EDF must not take on new nuclear developments at home or in the U.K. until it is better able to make a success of them.
Great British Nuclear (GBN) is the government body tasked with leading the development of SMRs. It’s currently in contract negotiations with four companies shortlisted for the U.K.’s SMR program, although it isn’t clear when the successful candidates will be announced.
Britain’s Rolls-Royce is competing with U.S.-based rivals GE Hitachi, Holtec and Westinghouse Electric for contracts to develop the nuclear reactors. The competition was launched in 2023, as part of the government’s plan to replenish the country’s dwindling nuclear industry.
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