UK Inquiry Tracker

Planning for nuclear energy generation

Energy Security and Net Zero Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 17 Jul 2025 Closed: 31 Dec 2025 Parliament page

The UK is embarking on an ambitious programme of investment in nuclear energy, seeking to reverse decades of declining capacity. The Government is counting on new nuclear to help deliver energy security and decarbonise electricity generation. Announcing funding for the Sizewell C nuclear power plant in June, the Energy Secretary … Read more The UK is embarking on an ambitious programme of investment in nuclear energy, seeking to reverse decades of declining capacity. The Government is counting on new nuclear to help deliver energy security and decarbonise electricity generation. Announcing funding for the Sizewell C nuclear power plant in June, the Energy Secretary said “ we need new nuclear to deliver a golden age of clean energy abundance .” But past promises of a golden age of nuclear energy have so far failed to materialise. A new reactor has not been connected to the grid for 30 years. Nuclear projects have historically faced unique barriers, including complex regulatory and planning processes. The Government now aims to deliver reforms to streamline planning approvals and give greater certainty to developers. Consultation and scrutiny of EN-7 The National Policy Statement for Nuclear Energy Generation (EN-7) has been put forward to help guide planners as they seek to make decisions on siting new nuclear infrastructure. Under the Planning Act 2008, a National Policy Statement (NPS) like EN-7 must undergo public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny before it can be formally designated. EN-7 has undergone two rounds of consultation: the first focused on potential changes to the nuclear siting approach; the second introduced the full draft text. The Committee is now beginning the parliamentary scrutiny process, offering MPs the opportunity to hear from industry, experts, and the public to examine the implications of the framework set out in EN-7 in detail. What is EN-7? EN-7 is intended to become the principal guide for decisions on future nuclear power stations in England and Wales. Nuclear infrastructure proposals are currently limited to eight sites in England and Wales. EN-7 replaces this with a criteria-based approach. It is also intended to support development of a broader range of nuclear technologies like Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs), as well as traditional gigawatt-scale plants. The aim is to create a future-proof planning framework that enables a pipeline of new nuclear projects to come forward. Call for Evidence The Energy Security and Net Zero Committee is now inviting written submissions to help assess whether EN-7 provides a coherent and effective framework for enabling the UK’s nuclear ambitions. Show less

9 Recommendations

10 Conclusions

1 Report

1 Oral session

1 Event

Activity timeline 4 events

19 Nov
2025

Report published

3rd Special Report – The new National Policy Statement for nuclear energy generation: Government Response

24 Oct
2025

Report published

4th Report - The new National Policy Statement for nuclear energy generation

10 Sep
2025

Oral evidence

10 Sep
2025

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster

Oral evidence

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

10 Sep 2025

View on parliament.uk

Oral evidence

Alastair Evans · Rolls Royce SMR Catherine Anderson · National Infrastructure Planning Association Julia Pyke · Sizewell C Mike Finnerty · Office for Nuclear Regulation Rebecca Phillips · Planning Inspectorate Tom Greatrex · Nuclear Industry Association

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
4th Report - The new National Policy Statement for nuclear energ…	HC 1212	24 Oct 2025	19	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 results

10 Recommendation Acknowledged

4th Report - The new National Poli…

Set out how a "one stop shop" for civil nuclear permitting could operate in practice.

The Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce has already called for radical reform to the regulatory landscape. It should set out how a “one stop shop” for permitting civil nuclear could operate in practice and examine whether this could be achieved without compromising … Read more

Government Response

The government will carefully consider the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce’s final recommendations and respond as soon as possible, without committing to specific policy or legislative changes at this stage.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

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11 Conclusion Acknowledged

4th Report - The new National Poli…

Government must consider proposals for a diverse fleet of reactors for future energy needs.

Looking beyond EN-7, the Government will need to start considering proposals for a more diverse fleet of reactors with different benefits and risks. A future NPS might, for certain technologies, need to disapply criteria or introduce entirely new ones. (Conclusion, … Read more

Government Response

The government notes the committee's conclusion about a future NPS needing to accommodate diverse reactor technologies and include technology-specific criteria. It states it is open to exploring these opportunities and will continue engagement with industry and experts.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

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12 Conclusion Acknowledged

4th Report - The new National Poli…

Signal Government's openness to developing technology-specific criteria in the next nuclear NPS.

EN-7 should signal the Government’s openness to developing more technology-specific criteria in the next nuclear NPS, and invite ongoing contributions from industry, regulators and independent experts on how siting policy can adapt to a more varied nuclear landscape. (Recommendation, Paragraph … Read more

Government Response

The government is open to exploring opportunities for technology-specific criteria in future nuclear National Policy Statements (NPS) and will continue to engage with industry, regulators, and experts as it develops future siting policy.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

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15 Recommendation Acknowledged

4th Report - The new National Poli…

Investigate creative mechanisms to ensure local economic value from nuclear developments is captured.

Besides traditional measures like apprenticeship quotas and community benefit funds, the Government should also investigate more creative mechanisms to ensure economic value from nuclear developments is captured locally. This could include doing more to encourage jointly consenting public infrastructure like … Read more

Government Response

The government notes the recommendation and is exploring all options, including potential guidance on community benefit funds, to ensure economic value from nuclear developments is captured locally.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

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Government Response AI assessment · 19 of 9 classified

Accepted 8

Accepted in Part 2

Acknowledged 4

Deferred 1

Rejected 4

Total 9 recs + 10 conclusions