Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the relative safety, sustainability and threats to the environment of the various types of nuclear reactors used in nuclear power stations, including liquid fluoride thorium reactors.

The UK’s independent nuclear regulators assess individual nuclear reactor designs proposed for development in the UK. In doing so, their aim is to ensure the safety, security and high environmental standards of nuclear installations in the UK, rather than to compare proposed designs with each other. As yet, no liquid fluoride thorium based designs have been submitted to the UK regulators for such an assessment.