nuclear-news

Mini nuclear plants to be built almost anywhere in UK

Mini-nuclear power plants will be allowed almost anywhere outside built-up
areas, as ministers relax planning rules to allow a “reawakening” of
atomic electricity.

Under plans to quadruple capacity in the next quarter
of a century, ministers want a fleet of “small modular reactors” to be
built across Britain alongside large power plants. Unlike conventional
plants, small modular reactors do not need to be built on the coast and the
government wants to open up far more areas as potential sites, in a
developer-led approach that will replace rules that allow nuclear power
stations only in eight named locations.

Rishi Sunak argues that “nuclear
is the perfect antidote to the energy challenges facing Britain”, helping
meet net zero goals with reliable, domestically produced power. A
consultation on overhauling planning rules published on Thursday says that
rather than ministers specifying sites, developers will be asked to
identify locations for such reactors based on a new list of safety and
environmental criteria. Only “population density” and “proximity to
military activities” will rule out nuclear plants, meaning they cannot be
built in areas with more than 5,000 people per square kilometre. This would
rule out cities and most towns, and is designed to “minimise the risk to
the public” in the event of a radioactive spill.

All other criteria will
be discretionary, including size, flood risk, proximity to civil airports,
the natural beauty, ecological importance or cultural heritage of the site.
“Sites may still be considered suitable for nuclear deployment even where
they fail to fully meet individual discretionary criteria, although not
fully addressing multiple discretionary criteria may cumulatively lead to a
site being considered unsuitable,” the consultation says. Officials
believe developers are likely to want to site plants near industrial
estates needing power and heat, or in areas that have skilled workers and
grid connections. “The government particularly encourages applications to
develop on former industrial and brownfield land,” the consultation says.

Times 11th Jan 2024

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/nuclear-power-plants-built-uk-plans-2024-rv5qxhzg2

January 13, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, UK