Prospect welcomes government overhaul that promises to accelerate nuclear

Government plans to overhaul nuclear planning and to streamline regulation to simplify and speed up the building of new nuclear projects are welcomed by Prospect.

The plan is the government’s response to the independent Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce that was led by John Fingleton, which found an “overly complex” and “bureaucratic” system that was holding the industry back.

The government says it will implement the Fingleton taskforce’s recommendations and will help to usher in ‘new golden age for nuclear.’

The government’s response, Building our Nuclear Nation, can be seen in full here.

Sue Ferns OBE , Prospect senior deputy general secretary, said in response:

“The conflict in the Middle East demonstrates the dangers of continued reliance on volatile global fossil fuel markets, so we welcome that the government is pressing down on the nuclear accelerator.

“Nuclear power is not only clean and reliable, it supports thousands of highly skilled, well-paid, jobs across the country and is the foundation of many local economies.

“It was never the case that speeding up nuclear meant compromising on safety or on the environment, and we are glad the government has rejected this argument in favour of a win-win approach. As the UK’s trade union for nuclear specialists we expect to be fully involved in the implementation of this plan to ensure the views of nuclear workers are heard.

“This must be the start of a new narrative on regulation, where regulators are not dismissed as ‘blockers’ but instead are properly resourced so that we can speed up essential development while not compromising on standards.”