Mixed response to planning reforms making it easier to build nuclear reactors

The Government has announced a caller model for approving atomic powerfulness stations successful the UK, which volition marque it easier to physique caller plants

Unions and concern leaders person welcomed the projected changes successful readying rules that could marque it easier to conception caller atomic reactors, but environmentalists deed retired astatine the plans.

Mike Clancy, wide caput of Prospect union, said: "The Government’s ambition to thrust guardant a caller procreation of atomic powerfulness aft decades of hold is precisely what Britain needs."

GMB wide caput Gary Smith was arsenic supportive, stating: "GMB has agelong said determination tin beryllium nary nett zero without caller nuclear. For excessively long, the nonaccomplishment to present caller atomic has weakened our vigor information and undermined economical growth.

"Sizewell C stands acceptable and waiting for the greenish airy to powerfulness up our country’s future. Now we request to spot spades successful the crushed without delay.

"It is besides captious that the voices of workers and their communities successful Sellafield, Wylfa, Hartlepool and beyond are astatine the bosom of decisions connected the aboriginal of these cardinal nationalist sites."

Jonathan Geldart, manager wide of the Institute of Directors, said: "The Government is close to place atomic powerfulness arsenic a important contributor to the UK’s aboriginal energy needs.

"This improvement shows the close tendency to flooded the important challenges progressive successful gathering backmost atomic astatine scale, successful presumption of readying obstacles and task delivery. Despite these challenges, today’s announcement marks a important determination forward."

Dr Doug Parr, argumentation manager for Greenpeace UK, was captious of the Labour Government's atomic policies: "The Labour Government has swallowed atomic manufacture rotation whole, seemingly without applying truthful overmuch arsenic a pinch of captious scrutiny oregon asking for a sprinkling of evidence. They contiguous arsenic information things which are simply optimistic conjecture connected tiny atomic reactor cost, velocity of transportation and safety.

"Which is courageous – oregon anserine – fixed that not a azygous 1 has been built, and with the atomic industry’s grounds of being implicit clip and implicit fund unmatched by immoderate different sector, and arsenic for the unsolved occupation of atomic discarded management, Government don’t spot the request to notation it astatine all."

Cathal O’Rourke, radical main enforcement of operation elephantine Laing O’Rourke, said: "This announcement is simply a important measurement guardant for the UK’s atomic industry. The clarity provided by these caller readying rules, the absorption connected streamlining the regulatory process and the accent connected standardising reactor designs is precisely the benignant of clear, unequivocal absorption the manufacture needs."