25 Nov (NucNet): The UK is to double funding for the Department of Energy and Climate Change’s energy innovation programme to £500m (€711m, $754m) over five years, which will help pay for an ambitious nuclear research programme that will revive the country’s nuclear expertise and help turn it into a leader in small modular reactor (SMR) technology, the government announced today.
Chancellor George Osborne said in his autumn statement on the economy that the investment would strengthen the future security of supply, reduce the costs of decarbonisation and boost industrial and research capabilities.
“The government’s doubling of investment in DECC’s innovation programme will help position the UK as an international leader in small modular nuclear reactors, and deliver commitments on seed funding for promising new renewable energy technologies and smart grids,” a statement said.
The government also said it will provide over £11bn for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to continue its vital work cleaning up historic nuclear sites. This includes making significant progress on the legacy ponds and silos at Sellafield, some of the most hazardous facilities in the UK.
Between 2016-17 and 2019-20 the government will save over £1bn by making efficiencies and savings in the NDA through better value contracts; top class commercial procurement; delaying non-safety-critical projects; and cancelling a project that is no longer needed due to “a world-first breakthrough in nuclear decommissioning research”. The statement did not give details of the project.
The London-based Nuclear Industry Association welcomed the government’s commitment to the nuclear sector and its additional funding for nuclear research and development, including the development of SMRs.
However, the NIA raised concerns that no funding was allocated to develop “a reuse option” for the UK’s plutonium stockpile.
The NIA said it believes that “now is the time for the government to put firm plans in place for dealing with this valuable asset”. The nuclear industry wants to see a timetable agreed to identify and deliver the preferred technology-led solution, with enough time for a cross-party consensus to be developed.
