星空传媒

Nuclear projects are being held back by too much regulation and a risk averse-culture, an independent government taskforce has found.

The first interim report by the Nuclear Taskforce, published yesterday, said the nuclear sector needs a 鈥渞adical reset鈥� to bring down costs on nuclear construction schemes and deliver them faster.

Describing the way current nuclear schemes are built and operated as 鈥渘ot fit for purpose鈥�, it has blamed 鈥渙utdated鈥� planning and regulatory barriers for driving up the price of schemes without delivering consistent safety benefits.

The findings reveal an 鈥渦nnecessarily slow, inefficient and costly鈥� system that prioritises bureaucracy over proportionate safety measures while holding up innovative schemes like small modular reactors.

The report comes three weeks after the government revealed the cost of the Sizewell C nuclear plant in Suffolk had almost doubled from the original 拢20bn forecast to 拢38bn.

This is still significantly less than the expected 拢46bn cost of Hinkley Point C in Somerset, which uses the same design.

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John Fingleton, leader of the Nuclear Taskforce, said: 鈥淣uclear energy is safe and reliable and can contribute to net鈥痾ero goals. It is also vital to the UK鈥檚 strategic deterrent.  

鈥淗owever, over recent decades, nuclear regulation has become more complex鈥痑nd costly without always delivering commensurate鈥痵afety and environmental benefits.鈥� 

鈥淥ur interim report identifies our main concerns with the current system which we think is not fit for purpose.鈥�

The taskforce is now inviting views from interested parties on possible solutions to issues identified in the report 鈥渨ith a view to recommending a once-in-a-generation reset鈥�. The final report will be published in the autumn.

Minister for energy consumers Miatta Fahnbulleh said: 鈥淔or too long, big British infrastructure projects have been held back by needless bureaucracy. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 time for a new approach to getting nuclear projects off the ground more quickly, and at a lower cost.  

鈥淲e look forward to working with the expert taskforce to modernise outdated regulations so we can unlock growth, jobs and energy security for the British people.鈥�

The final report鈥檚 recommendations will focus on issues including tackling a 鈥渃ulture of risk aversion and reluctance to challenge and debate鈥�, which it has blamed for increasing costs and delivery times on schemes.

It will also look into addressing overly complex and inconsistent regulations, improving the planning framework to support small modular reactors and the potential for greater standardisation across international regulators.