Energy Bill lacks any detail on achieving nuclear ambitions

The Government published the Queen’s Speech today and there is to be an Energy Security Bill in the coming Parliament.

After months of talk about new nuclear and the need to get on with building it it was hoped that this bill would contain a clear plan for achieving our goals but no detail was included.

Sue Ferns, Senior Deputy general secretary of Prospect, responded:

“An Energy Security Bill was the minimum we needed from the government to get through the current energy crisis and secure our future generating capacity and climate goals.

“So far we have had plenty of warm words about the desire to ramp up new nuclear but lacked a clear plan as to how that will happen.”

“Security of nuclear fuel supply and the development and preservation of nuclear skills are essential to our future energy security but were sadly absent from the proposed bill. The bill must set out a plan to maintain sovereign capability in fuel, through the protection of the UK’s only nuclear fuel producer Springfields, and ensure we are giving people the skills we need to power our energy secure future.

“The suggestion of increasing competition in electricity networks, may have unintended consequences and serve as a distraction from reaching Net Zero. We will urgently trying to clarify what the government intends.”