UK most expensive place' to build nuclear power, review finds

"The nuclear regulatory taskforce was set up by Keir Starmer in February after the government promised to rip up archaic rules and slash regulations to get Britain building. It issued a stark warning on Monday, warning that Britain needed a radical reset of the rules around nuclear power to save tens of billions in costs and reverse the industry's decline."

"The review blamed a fragmented regulatory system that had led to conservative and costly decisions not proportionate to the actual risk being managed. The taskforce was led by John Fingleton, the former head of the Office of Fair Trading. He said of the final report: Our solutions are radical, but necessary. By simplifying regulation, we can maintain or enhance safety standards while finally delivering nuclear capacity safely, quickly, and affordably."

"The latest recommendations include restructuring the nuclear industry's regulatory bodies to create a single commission for nuclear regulation, and changing environmental and planning regimes to enhance nature and deliver projects quicker. Fingleton said Britain's regulations have made us the most expensive place in the world to build nuclear, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: Motorways wouldn't be very useful if we all drove at five miles an hour but that's sort of what we're doing in nuclear safety."

The UK faces extremely high nuclear construction costs attributed to overly complex bureaucracy and fragmented regulation. A regulatory taskforce set up in February called for a radical reset of rules to save tens of billions and reverse industry decline. The taskforce identified conservative, risk-averse decisions driven by multiple regulatory bodies as a major cost driver. Recommendations include creating a single commission for nuclear regulation and reforming environmental and planning regimes to expedite projects and enhance nature. Leaders argued simplification can preserve or improve safety while delivering capacity faster and more affordably, though some civil groups warned against weakening safety standards.

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