Reforms to nuclear power planning rules

The changes will allow for small modular reactors in the UK for the first time.

The UK Government has scrapped the set list of eight sites – which means nuclear sites could be built anywhere across England and Wales.

The expiry date on nuclear planning rules has also been removed, so projects don’t get timed out and industry can plan for the long term. 

While a Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce will spearhead improvements to the regulations to help more companies build in the UK. 

The announcement comes as a new independent study, published by EDF, reports on the positive impact of nuclear power stations on UK jobs.

The report reveals that 31,000 jobs a year are supported by the eight stations, during the power generation phase. This is 5.3 additional jobs for every EDF direct role.