The UK government outlined its comprehensive plans to speed up nuclear delivery after the independent Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce led by John Fingleton found an “overly complex” and “bureaucratic” system that favoured process over safe outcomes had held back the industry.
The government is delivering reforms in a way that produces a win-win for building critical infrastructure while protecting nature and the environment, News Cover reports, citing the UK government's official website.
The government is implementing the review’s recommendations, with all reforms expected to be completed by the end of 2027. These reforms could help speed up other types of infrastructure, such as looking at whether reforms to judicial reviews could apply to other major planning regimes.
The core of the plan is a move towards smarter regulation: proportionate, focused on real risk, rooted in evidence, and designed to effectively protect nature and biodiversity. This plan will support safe, cost effective, and rapid delivery across the entire civil and defence nuclear enterprise. The plan is expected to reduce the cost and timeframe of delivering new civil and defence nuclear projects, without compromising safety and environmental protections.
As part of its clean energy superpower mission and Industrial Strategy, the government is delivering a golden age of nuclear - greenlighting Sizewell C on the Suffolk coast which will support 17,000 jobs nationwide at peak construction, progressing Hinkley Point C in Somerset, backing the UK’s first small modular reactors at Wylfa in North Wales, and paving the way for further projects across the country with international partners.
