Nuclear Reactors

(asked on 8th February 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to speed up the approval process for modular nuclear reactors.


Answered by
Graham Stuart Portrait
Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This question was answered on 24th February 2023

The Government invested up to £12m with the UK’s nuclear regulators between 2017 and 2022 under the Nuclear Innovation Programme, to build regulatory capability for small and advanced modular reactors (SMR and AMR).

With this funding, the regulators modernised the Generic Design Assessment process introducing efficiencies while maintaining rigour and updated their Technical Assessment Guidance and Assessment Principles for regulating SMRs and AMRs.

As outlined in the British Energy Security Strategy, the Government will work with the regulators to understand the potential for additional streamlining or removing of duplication from the regulation of new nuclear power stations.

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