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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will set out what support and resources are provided to a local authority in the event that a nuclear power station is to close.

Following a decision by EDF to close one of their nuclear power stations, which would be taken in consultation with the Office for Nuclear Regulation, the first phase of closure is defueling, and this takes several years with continued use of EDF’s uniquely experienced teams, and specialist supply chain companies, preserving jobs in a local community. A closure decision by EDF does not result in any specific additional support or resource being provided for the local authority in which the power station is located.

Following the defueling phase for the seven EDF-owned Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor power stations (all of which are due to close by 2028), each station will transfer to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to deliver the subsequent decommissioning activity. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has a duty to ensure that decommissioning activities benefit local communities and provide a beneficial legacy once decommissioning work is completed.