Source · Select Committees · Energy Security and Net Zero Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Rejected
Commission ONR to develop proposals for a replacement methodology to SUPDC.
Recommendation
The Government should commission the Office for Nuclear Regulation to develop proposals for a replacement methodology to SUPDC. The ONR could consider the risks posed by different nuclear technologies, recognising that some novel technologies may pose greater or lesser risks of radioactive release. These proposals should include the option of dispensing with SUPDC altogether and replacing its role in the DCO process with the emergency evacuation planning done through the REPPIR framework. (Recommendation, Paragraph 62)
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the idea of replacing SUPDC with REPPIR, arguing they are not equivalent and would waste resources. It commits to reviewing the EN-7 and Semi-Urban Population Density Criterion with the Office for Nuclear Regulation's help every five years.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
as part of new models, as well as the potential benefits of new nuclear for achieving Net Zero and our energy security, we are committed to reviewing the criterion following EN-7’s designation. We note the Committee’s suggestion to consider replacing the SUPDC with REPPIR. However, we do not consider the SUPDC and REPPIR to be in any way equivalent or duplicative. The SUPDC is not only a mechanism that ensures the immediate area surrounding a nuclear power station can reasonably be expected to be evacuated within two hours of an incident; it is also a political judgement which sets a threshold for the maximum possible impact an accident may have. REPPIR plays no part in site selection; it only ensures that the emergency evacuation procedures are robust once a site has been chosen. If a project, having been relieved of the need to satisfy the SUPDC early on, were to fail to satisfy the requirements of REPPIR subsequently, much time, expense and regulatory resource would have been wasted which could have been invested on a more suitable location. EN-7, including the Semi-Urban Population Density Criterion, will be reviewed at least every 5 years to ensure it remains relevant and effective. The review of the Semi-Urban Population Density Criterion will need to be based on evidence from the sector and international standards, and be conducted with the help of the Office for Nuclear Regulation. Heat