UK is world’s most expensive place to develop nuclear power, report says

Image credit: nuclearenergytech.net

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Report comment: “Motorways wouldn’t be very useful if we all drove at five miles an hour but that’s sort of what we’re doing in nuclear safety.” The UK needs reliable electricity without over-the-top obstacles from regulation.
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The UK has become the “most expensive place in the world” to build nuclear power plants, according to a government review which criticises “overly complex” bureaucracy around the sector, BBC News.

The report, which was commissioned by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, calls for a “one-stop shop” for nuclear decisions.

A “radical reset” of the rules around nuclear power could save Britain “tens of billions” in costs and reverse the industry’s “decline” in recent years, the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce said, external.

It comes as the UK government looks to build a new generation of nuclear plants to meet the country’s future energy needs and net zero targets.
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The taskforce’s report said the planning system needed to be streamlined and the risks associated with nuclear energy should be brought in line with the rest of the world

It said the UK had excessively risk-averse policies in place, including “overly conservative” rules on radiation exposure levels for workers.
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Taskforce chair John Fingleton said: “Our solutions are radical, but necessary. By simplifying regulation, we can maintain or enhance safety standards while finally delivering nuclear capacity safely, quickly, and affordably.”

Speaking to the BBC’s Today programme, Mr Fingleton said the UK’s regulations have “made us the most expensive place in the world to build nuclear”.

Limitations on exposure to radiation are stricter in an energy setting than in a dentists or doctors, he said.

“Motorways wouldn’t be very useful if we all drove at five miles an hour but that’s sort of what we’re doing in nuclear safety.”

The government is expected to address the report’s findings later this month in the Budget.

Full article here.
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Image credit: nuclearenergytech.net