The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has published a report warning that the UK nuclear industry is being damaged bythe Government “dithering” over plans for small modular reactors.
It argues that David Cameron’s Conservative administration gave “enthusiastic backing” for the reactors, which supporters argue would be cheaper and easier to build than conventional nuclear plants.
Newcastle-based Penultimate Power UK told the committee that a lack of clarity from the Government has “paralysed development of nuclear-power generation technology. Without urgent action the window of opportunity for meaningful participation will soon close.”
Tom Greatrex (pictured), chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said he “shares the committee’s frustration” and added that the competition has been “left hanging in the air, with the road-map for the reactors lost somewhere in Whitehall”.
The competition to “identify the best value SMR design for the UK” was announced by the then-Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne two years ago as part of a £250 million nuclear R&D programme.
More than 30 companies, including Rolls-Royce, entered the first phase of the competition last year, but no Government announcement has since been made.
The report urges the Government to publish the results of the competition “without delay, if industrial interest is to be maintained and if commercial opportunities are not to be missed”.
A spokesman for the Department of Business said: “The Government recognises the potential of small modular reactors to help to meet our energy and climate-change challenges at a lower cost. We will respond to the Select Committee’s report in due course.”
Meanwhile, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers has published a report that says small modular reactors could see the UK exploit “key export opportunities and return the country to the international nuclear-reactor supply arena”.
The Institution recommends that the Government should establish a Safeguarding Office, to ensure the country conforms to international rules on safety and non-proliferation.
Jenifer Baxter, head of energy and environment at the Institution and lead author of the report, said: “The UK’s departure from the EU is likely to be complicated and difficult, but it also presents the country with an opportunity to reshape its nuclear industry and once again become a world-leading innovator in nuclear technology.”