Ed Miliband: My door is open for nuclear projects in UK

Ed Miliband has said his “door is open” for new nuclear projects and that the Government will work with the industry to push through developments.

The UK needs nuclear, wind, solar, batteries, tidal stream, hydrogen and carbon capture to reach its clean energy goals, the Energy and Net Zero Secretary told the Nuclear Industry Association’s Nuclear 2024 conference on Thursday.

Great British Nuclear, a public body which helps bring forward new nuclear energy projects, has started negotiations with four bidders for the UK’s small modular reactor programme, and final decisions are due in spring, he said.

Advanced modular reactors meanwhile could provide clean energy for some of the sectors that are most difficult to decarbonise, he said.

“Of course, it’s early days but we should be open to the potential of SMRs to power the fourth industrial revolution, just as coal powered the first.

“My message is clear: if you want to build a nuclear project in Britain, my door is open.

“My department is listening.

“We want all your ideas for projects that can work and provide value for money.”

The Government is exploring how it can help private developers bring advanced nuclear projects to market and consulting on a new nuclear planning framework and siting policy next year.

“More people now recognise that whatever the challenges of nuclear, they pale in comparison to the energy security and climate threats we face,” he said.

He said he was “delighted” that four of Britain’s five nuclear power stations will stay open longer than previously planned, as announced by their operator EDF.

Heysham Two, in Lancashire, and Torness in East Lothian will keep producing electricity for an extra two years until March 2030, while Heysham One and another station in Hartlepool, north-east England, will produce power until March 2027, a year extension.