Nuclear South West are calling on the new Business Secretary, Jacob Rees-Mogg, to ensure the UK Government’s commitment to new and existing nuclear projects remains a critical element of plans to be carbon neutral by 2050.
The new Conservative Party leader, Liz Truss, on 5th September, announced their new cabinet including Jacob Rees-Mogg as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, promising a new direction for UK politics this autumn with a three point plan on economy, energy and the NHS. The appointment of a new Prime Minister also has the potential to represent a landmark moment for support for nuclear power as part of a mix of energy alternatives to fossil fuels. This is critical to ensuring the Government provides energy security for the UK and meets its target of Net Zero by 2050.
Stefan Cecchini, Chairman at Nuclear South West, said:
“We know that nuclear power plays a crucial role in the UK Government’s aims for Net Zero 2050, and we hope that the new Business Secretary will continue to stand by and deliver on this commitment.
“We believe it requires more than speaking about the importance of nuclear; it needs to be shown in actions. The UK Government has created funding packages like the Future Nuclear Fund and indicated £700m for Sizewell C, just in the past week. As energy security becomes an obvious priority for the UK Government, we welcome additional financial resource to delivering the necessary additional nuclear capacity the country.
“This must include decisions to progress next generation nuclear power plants; a commitment to opportunities in nuclear such as fusion, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) using new technologies and designs, alongside the larger, gigawatt-scale nuclear plants.
“The South West has a critical part to play in the future of nuclear power. Hinkley Point C will be the pioneering plant for this generation, having readied a nuclear capable supply chain, and we await news of the STEP programme for one of the current site choices at Severn Edge.
“Clearly, there is a bright and important future for the role of nuclear energy in the UK. We hope that Liz Truss, will commit to the action needed to turn the vision for the sector into reality.”