Nuclear Power

(asked on 24th April 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) cost and (b) environmental consequences of nuclear energy.


Answered by
Andrew Stephenson Portrait
Andrew Stephenson
This question was answered on 29th April 2019

All nuclear new build projects are assessed on a case by case basis to ensure they provide value for money for taxpayers and consumers. Before a new nuclear power station can be built and operated, the operator must apply for and obtain a number of permissions from the independent regulators and from Government. The assessment of environmental impact is an important consideration in regulators deciding whether relevant permissions should be issued and what conditions should be attached to the permissions. In addition, potential new nuclear technologies are considered under the Justification Regulations, with ‘Justification’ being the process by which Government determines whether the potential benefits of a practice making use of ionising radiation outweigh its potential risks. Furthermore, all developers of new build stations are required to have a Funded Decommissioning Programme approved by the Secretary of State before nuclear-related construction can begin. This ensures the taxpayer does not bear the burden for future costs of turning the station into a greenfield site once generation has ceased.

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