Nuclear Industry Association urges new U.K. government to make nuclear plans a priority

The Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) called on the new United Kingdom government Friday to prioritize the previous administration’s nuclear plans to ensure the sector continues to thrive and deliver investment, jobs and a multi-billion dollar export market.

In last week’s election, British Prime Minister David Cameron and his Conservative Party earned an outright majority in Parliament, with 331 seats out of 650, and they can now form a new government.

The previous coalition government proposed to build the U.K.’s first new nuclear power station in a generation, and the country is now close to a program that will create tens of thousands of jobs and boost gross domestic product. The previous administration also ring-fenced the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s (NDA) budget to deal with the U.K.’s historic nuclear waste. The NDA’s strategy has developed over the past five years, and a number of key milestones have been met across its 17 sites.

NIA CEO Keith Parker said nuclear power has provided the U.K. with clean, reliable and affordable electricity for decades.

“I would urge the new government to continue the previous administration's plans to replace the U.K.’s current nuclear energy infrastructure,” Parker said. “Energy is a key long-term issue that requires stability for both consumers and investors.”

He said public support remains high for the replacement of the U.K.’s current fleet of reactors, of which all but one is due to go offline by 2028.