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

5 Conclusion Rejected

4th Report - The new National Poli…

Excessive detail in planning applications undermines regulators and hinders fleet-based nuclear deployment.

If planning examinations stray too far into matters reserved to other regimes this will undermine those regulators. While the exhaustive drafting of the criteria in EN-7 may simply be intended to empower the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State … Read more

Government Response

The government rejects the committee's assessment, arguing that the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) consenting regime properly assesses project viability in controlling land, and a finding of regulatory viability during planning must be probabilistic to be proportionate.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

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7 Recommendation Rejected

4th Report - The new National Poli…

Strengthen EN-7 to limit Examining Authority information requests to essential planning and environmental impacts.

Language in section 2.4 presuming the effectiveness of regulatory regimes should be strengthened to state that the Examining Authority should require only such information as is reasonably necessary to assess planning and environmental impacts within the scope of this NPS. … Read more

Government Response

The government rejects strengthening the language, stating that the current EN-7 already balances the need for information with regulatory oversight and ensures unnecessary information is not sought.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

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17 Recommendation Rejected

4th Report - The new National Poli…

Publish a map of SUPDC test results for England and Wales, replacing H&SE consultation.

EN-7 should, for now, retain SUPDC to avoid delaying its designation, but should replace the requirement to consult the Health and Safety Executive with a published map showing SUPDC test results for all of England 26 and Wales at a … Read more

Government Response

The government rejects the recommendation to replace HSE consultation with a published map for SUPDC, explaining that the underlying data updates too frequently to make maps viable, and states they will keep the current HSE consultation requirement while remaining open to future alternatives.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

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18 Recommendation Rejected

4th Report - The new National Poli…

Commission ONR to develop proposals for a replacement methodology to SUPDC.

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 … Read more

Government Response

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.

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