Study a ‘significant step’ towards deploying reactors in English Midlands
A UK nuclear body has taken a significant step towards integrating nuclear power into the country’s low-carbon energy mix by examining and assessing potential sites for new power stations.
Midlands Nuclear said the siting study assesses where and how nuclear energy could supply low-carbon electricity, hydrogen, and sustainable fuels for industry, transport and homes in the English Midlands.
It said the project has identified a range of brownfield and greenfield locations that have the potential to pass the relevant criteria and therefore, subject to further investigations, could be “technically suitable for deploying new nuclear power stations subject to approvals, the presence of a willing developer, investor(s) and ability to overcome any challenges that the sites may pose during development”.
It did not name the sites. In a Q&A released to the media Midlands Nuclear said “it is generally ill-advised in any infrastructure development project to publicly share locations prior to any potential project being initiated”.
Midlands Nuclear, which brings together the nuclear supply chain, developers, generators, researchers and skills providers, said the UK government outlined its commitment to clean energy in a strategy published on 23 June.
The strategy focuses on clean energy, industrial decarbonisation and lowering energy costs, pledging to double investment in clean energy to over £30bn (€34bn, $41bn) by 2035.
Alongside this, up to 24 GW of new nuclear capacity is planned by 2050, backed by £20bn of investment in Sizewell C and small modular reactor development.
Midlands Nuclear believes the Midlands could attract similar investment, strengthening energy security, advancing net zero goals and establishing the region as a key player in the energy transition.
Projects would support regional jobs and industrial growth, enabling the Midlands to capture more of the potential 3,000 jobs at peak construction for a single SMR and £500-£660m increase in economic output from a two-unit deployment delivering almost 1GW of clean electricity.
Restoring the Midlands’ role in energy generation could revitalise local economies, bring energy production closer to where it is used, and help reduce energy bills nationwide, Midlands Nuclear said.
