Nuclear Power: Investment

Debate between Ed Miliband and Gurinder Singh Josan

Tuesday 10th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Ed Miliband]

The right hon. Gentleman asks perfectly legitimate questions. I am glad to say that decommissioning is in at the beginning of the financing model, as part of the overall costs. We will lay out total costs when the final investment decision is made. Similarly, on the regulated asset base costs—I know that he genuinely cares about the climate crisis—all the evidence we have shows that this is our lowest-cost alternative, compared with other low-carbon technologies, so it is a crucial part of the energy mix.

[Gurinder Singh Josan (Smethwick) (Lab)]

I congratulate the Secretary of State and the Labour Government on this incredibly important investment announcement. As a physicist by training, I particularly welcome the investment in fusion technology, as well as traditional fission. I am sure that this investment will bring closer the final outcome that we want. Will he ensure that the benefit of this investment is felt across all our communities by using a predominantly UK supply chain, and will he ensure that all aspects of the nuclear jigsaw receive Government support, including the provision of nuclear fuel, the decommissioning and safe disposal of nuclear waste, and even the reuse of currently stockpiled nuclear waste products in future generations of reactors?

[Ed Miliband]

My hon. Friend makes an important point: across the lifecycle of nuclear and across the supply chain, there are important economic opportunities. The importance of realising that potential is a constant theme of the questions that we have heard today, and that is what we intend to do.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ed Miliband and Gurinder Singh Josan

Tuesday 18th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Ed Miliband]

This, among many others, is a very, very important potential project and the hon. Gentleman is right to make the case for it. Green hydrogen is absolutely part of our energy mix in the future.

[Gurinder Singh Josan (Smethwick) (Lab)]

T3. I welcome the Government’s commitment to nuclear energy. I recently met representatives of Newcleo, a company developing small modular reactors using lead-cooled fast reactor technology that uses depleted uranium and plutonium: waste materials of which we have an abundance from our existing nuclear programme. Will the Secretary of State detail what he is doing to ensure that the industrial strategy takes account of all aspects of the nuclear jigsaw, including the wide variety of technologies on offer?