Recommendations & Conclusions
13 items
10
Recommendation
Eighth Report - Delivering nuclear power
Acknowledged
The Government should take steps to advance the ability for FIDs to be taken before 2029 and provide a detailed timeline of when it expects the winner or winners of GBN’s SMR technology selection process to begin commercially supplying electricity to the UK.
Government response. The government reiterated GBN's role in delivering two nuclear Final Investment Decisions in the next Parliament and stated it is seeking to deliver the fastest SMR competition, but did not provide a detailed timeline for when SMRs are expected to …
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
14
Conclusion
Eighth Report - Delivering nuclear power
Acknowledged
An essential requirement will be to resolve of the questions of whether a standardised fleet of nuclear power plants, using serial versions of the same reactor technology, has the potential to benefit the UK as new knowledge and resources can be transferred from one project to the next, reducing the …
Government response. The government stated it is continuing to consider how all nuclear technologies could contribute to UK energy security and climate change targets.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
15
Conclusion
Eighth Report - Delivering nuclear power
Acknowledged
The Government, through Great British Nuclear, must choose between the potential cost benefits of a standardised nuclear fleet of gigawatt reactors and the energy security and resilience that a diversity of reactor designs provides.
Government response. The government is continuing to consider how all technologies could contribute to UK energy security and meeting climate change targets, without making a specific choice between standardised or diverse reactor designs.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
27
Conclusion
Eighth Report - Delivering nuclear power
Acknowledged
Since 2010, the UK public investment into fusion research and development has totalled around £970 million. All such investment of taxpayer funds has alternative uses, whether in science, energy, or other fields. Sceptics of fusion argue, in the much-repeated phrase, that the benefits of fusion are always 20 years away—with …
Government response. The government responds to the committee's observations about fusion investment by detailing significant past and future financial commitments to UKAEA's fusion programmes, including the STEP Programme and additional R&D funding, reaffirming its support despite the noted long-term uncertainties.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
28
Conclusion
Eighth Report - Delivering nuclear power
Acknowledged
However, in recent months breakthroughs have been made in fusion research, including doubling of the record for power generated in a tokamak; there is a growing number of private fusion companies clustered in Culham and the UK is a leading nation in the ITER project.
Government response. The government responds to the committee's positive observations about fusion breakthroughs and the UK's leading role by detailing substantial past and future financial investments in UKAEA's fusion programmes, demonstrating continued commitment.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
29
Conclusion
Eighth Report - Delivering nuclear power
Acknowledged
We believe that it is not the time to abandon our long-standing commitment to fusion, just at the point when it is giving cause for optimism; when the zero- carbon imperative is strong; when we have an internationally admired and well- run organisation in the UK Atomic Energy Authority, and …
Government response. The government responds to the committee's belief that commitment to fusion should not be abandoned by detailing significant past and future financial investments in UKAEA's fusion programmes, thereby indicating its continued long-standing commitment.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
32
Conclusion
Eighth Report - Delivering nuclear power
Acknowledged
However, if the Government and the nuclear industry credibly adopt a stable, long term plan of growing the nuclear sector, there are very significant attractions to recruitment: new build and new technologies involve innovation and technical 104 Delivering nuclear power advances; the timescales of nuclear commitments offers the prospect of …
Government response. The government acknowledges the importance of ensuring the nuclear industry has required skills and highlights its commitment to a proposed new nuclear programme. It mentions ongoing work with the Nuclear Skills Strategy Group and the recently launched Nuclear Skills Taskforce …
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
33
Recommendation
Eighth Report - Delivering nuclear power
Acknowledged
As part of a strategic approach to nuclear, the Government and the industry should set out steps deliberately to communicate to school-leavers, graduates and to those changing careers, the particular advantages of choosing to work in the nuclear industry.
Government response. The government acknowledges the need for skills in the nuclear industry and mentions its work with the Nuclear Skills Strategy Group and the recently launched Nuclear Skills Taskforce to identify gaps and ensure the right training, but does not detail …
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
34
Conclusion
Eighth Report - Delivering nuclear power
Acknowledged
It is highly desirable that, in expanding employment in the sector, opportunities should continue to be broadened to people from sectors other than nuclear. Apart from the wider pool of talent available, it is important there should be flows into and out of the nuclear industry from other industries. The …
Government response. The government acknowledges its commitment to ensuring the nuclear industry has the required skills and works with the Nuclear Skills Strategy Group and the Nuclear Skills Taskforce to address skills gaps, but does not specifically detail how it will broaden …
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
35
Conclusion
Eighth Report - Delivering nuclear power
Acknowledged
As a matter of strategic planning, the Government and the sector should, at a time of expansion, deliberately increase the permeability of the sector to other commercial, engineering and scientific sectors.
Government response. The government acknowledges its commitment to ensuring the nuclear industry has the required skills and works with the Nuclear Skills Strategy Group and Nuclear Skills Taskforce to identify gaps, but does not specify actions to increase the sector's permeability to …
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
42
Recommendation
Eighth Report - Delivering nuclear power
Acknowledged
It may be the case that the size of capital outlay means that private investors will not repeat a CfD contract for new nuclear, whatever the price. But the lack of alternative choices should not mean that any terms will be acceptable for a RAB financed plant. The Government should …
Government response. The government stated that it will ensure consumer and taxpayer interests are protected as a shareholder in Sizewell C, committing to implement multiple mechanisms to manage project costs and schedules and ensure unacceptable costs are not borne by consumers before …
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
44
Conclusion
Eighth Report - Delivering nuclear power
Acknowledged
This is an important moment for the future of small modular reactors (SMRs) as we set out in Chapter 3. Following the £500 million Government and investor funded development of an SMR concept through to the beginning stages of regulatory approval. Clarity is needed on the Government’s plans to deploy …
Government response. The government explained the differences between the CfD and RAB financing models, highlighting the RAB model as an established option for new nuclear projects, including SMRs, which aims to provide investor certainty. However, it did not commit to a specific …
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
59
Recommendation
Eighth Report - Delivering nuclear power
Acknowledged
The NDA should establish, with the involvement of government, a long-term plan to expand this international work while monitoring a thorough and dependable service within the UK.
Government response. The government states the NDA already engages internationally and will continue to work with the NDA to consider how its international capabilities might be enhanced. The NDA will also continue to explore opportunities for international collaboration and best practice sharing.
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology