Medical and Hospital News
CIVIL NUCLEAR
UK to quicken rollout of mini-nuclear reactors
UK to quicken rollout of mini-nuclear reactors
by AFP Staff Writers
London (AFP) Feb 6, 2025

Britain's Labour government on Thursday said changes to planning laws will speed up the country's rollout of mini-nuclear reactors aimed at providing cheaper and cleaner energy.

"Reforms to planning rules will clear a path for smaller, safer, and easier to build nuclear reactors -- known as Small Modular Reactors (SMR) -- to be built for the first time ever in the UK," a statement said.

"This will create thousands of new highly skilled jobs while delivering clean, secure and more affordable energy for working people."

The government led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer noted that China is constructing 29 reactors and the European Union has 12 at planning stage.

"My government was elected to deliver change," said Starmer, whose party came to power in July following 14 years of Conservative rule.

"I'll take the radical decisions needed to wrestle Britain from its status quo slumber, to turbocharge our plan for change."

The current plans restrict nuclear development to just eight UK sites.

Greenpeace voiced scepticism at the changes, while urging the government to focus on renewable energy which includes wind and solar.

Labour presents "as fact things which are merely optimistic conjecture on small nuclear reactor cost, speed of delivery and safety, which is courageous -- or stupid -- given that not a single one has been built", Greenpeace policy director Doug Parr said in a statement.

While scrapping the limit on site numbers, the government on Thursday stressed there will "continue to be robust criteria for nuclear reactor locations, including restrictions near densely populated areas and military activity", adding it would take into account environmental impacts.

Labour believes easing regulations across various sectors will help to grow a stagnant UK economy. It argues that for the nuclear industry it should help to speed up net zero carbon emissions and improve energy security.

"The British people have been left vulnerable to global energy markets for too long -- and the only way out is to build our way to a new era of clean electricity," Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said in the joint statement.

Britain has five nuclear power plants in operation of which four will have their lifetime extended according to an announcement in December by their French operator EDF, as the UK aims to fully decarbonise its energy grid by 2030.

EDF, which is building the new nuclear power plant Hinkley Point C in southwest England, decided last year to withdraw its interest to construct Britain's SMRs.

Related Links
Nuclear Power News - Nuclear Science, Nuclear Technology
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
CIVIL NUCLEAR
New Belgian government ditches nuclear power exit plan
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Feb 4, 2025
Belgium's new conservative-led government on Tuesday made a U-turn on a two-decades-old pledge to exit from nuclear power, announcing plans to invest in two new reactors. New Prime Minister Bart De Wever informed lawmakers in his inaugural policy address to parliament that he intended to "put an end to an outdated law" - a decision agreed as part of the country's new coalition deal. Under a 2003 law, Belgium had set a calendar for taking the country's nuclear reactors out of service by the end ... read more

CIVIL NUCLEAR
Pentagon says 10 'high-threat' migrants being held at Guantanamo

One dead, dozens missing in China landslide

UK's Lammy warns US aid cuts could see China step into 'gap'

Fukushima nuclear plant operator to dismantle water tanks next week

CIVIL NUCLEAR
Galileo ground stations undergo systemwide migration

EUSPA unveils integrated GNSS and secure SATCOM user technology update

GMV to advance the Galileo High Accuracy Service with new data generator

Sierra Space resilient GPS Satellite Program achieves major development milestone

CIVIL NUCLEAR
New play takes on OpenAI drama and AI's existential questions

Trump signs order to get 'transgender ideology' out of military

How to Design Humane Autonomous Systems

Three million years ago our ancestors relied on plant-based diets

CIVIL NUCLEAR
Rare otter 'disappeared' in Kyrgyzstan, experts warn

Australian team claims first IVF kangaroo embryo

German tourist killed by wild elephant in India

Quantum factors elevate plant energy transport efficiency

CIVIL NUCLEAR
A new vaccine approach could help combat future coronavirus pandemics

China says 'extremely unlikely' Covid pandemic came from lab leak

Wuhan keen to shake off pandemic label five years on

China marks muted 5th anniversary of first Covid death

CIVIL NUCLEAR
Australia expresses 'serious concerns' for writer jailed in China

Viral Chinese tourist spot stokes nostalgia with staged rural scenes

US charges former Fed official with spying for China

China travel peaks as millions head home for Lunar New Year

CIVIL NUCLEAR
French government appeals to consumers to help stem drug 'tsunami'

Fears of scam centre kidnaps keep Chinese tourists on edge in Thailand

Clashes between police, gang leave 11 dead in Brazil

Charred bodies in Ecuador are missing adolescents, say officials

CIVIL NUCLEAR
Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.