More nuclear plants, such as Sizewell B power station in Suffolk, could now be built in Britain. PA
More nuclear plants, such as Sizewell B power station in Suffolk, could now be built in Britain. PA
More nuclear plants, such as Sizewell B power station in Suffolk, could now be built in Britain. PA
More nuclear plants, such as Sizewell B power station in Suffolk, could now be built in Britain. PA

UK scraps red tape to make it easier to build nuclear power plants


Nicky Harley
  • English
  • Arabic

The UK is reforming planning rules to make it easier to build new nuclear power plants.

The measures will pave the way for small modular reactors to be built for the first time in the country, which ministers say will help to deliver clean, secure and more affordable energy.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said "archaic" rules will be dropped in a bid to ensure the UK can be more competitive in the global race for cleaner and cheaper energy.

The sector has faced years of delays and obstruction, with last nuclear power station built in the UK in 1995.

Under the move, which is expected to generate thousands of highly skilled jobs, mini-nuclear power stations will be included in planning rules for the first time.

“This country hasn’t built a nuclear power station in decades. We’ve been let down and left behind," Mr Starmer said. “Our energy security has been hostage to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin for too long, with British prices skyrocketing at his whims.

“I’m putting an end to it – changing the rules to back the builders of this nation and saying no to the blockers who have strangled our chances of cheaper energy, growth and jobs for far too long.

"We were a leader in nuclear and I'm determined we will be a leader again. This is a real gamechanger."

Expiry dates on nuclear planning rules will be scrapped and a nuclear regulatory task force will be established.

Ministers said Britain is considered one of the world’s most expensive countries in which to build nuclear power, so the task force can speed up the approval of new reactor designs and streamline how developers engage with regulators.

“Build, build, build – that is what Britain’s clean energy mission is all about, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said. “The British people have been left vulnerable to global energy markets for too long – and the only way out is to build our way to a new era of clean electricity.”

Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said the plans are the strongest signal yet that new nuclear is "critical to the growth and clean power mission" of the government.

“A more streamlined planning system will give certainty to investors, the supply chain and communities, and will enable us to get on with building new nuclear plants on more sites, and at pace, for a cleaner, more secure power system," he said.

Conservative shadow energy secretary Andrew Bowie said it was “about time that Labour started to follow our lead in recognising the benefits of stable, reliable, baseload nuclear power”.

“But it’s little comfort when Ed Miliband’s ideological approach to energy is sending bills through the roof, British jobs abroad and denying billions of pounds of investment into Britain," he said.

Environmental group Greenpeace has voiced scepticism at the changes and has urged the government to focus on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.

Labour presents "as fact things which are merely optimistic conjecture on small nuclear reactor cost, speed of delivery and safety, which is courageous – or stupid – given that not a single one has been built", Greenpeace policy director Doug Parr said.

Dale Vince, green industrialist and founder of Ecotricity, has also questioned whether the reforms will save money.

“We keep hearing that small modular reactors will be cheaper than the big ones and they’ll bring our energy bills down – but no one, no one at all, ever tells us what the price of the energy will be, the government and the industry just don’t say," he said.

“You have to wonder why – if they’re definitely cheaper and will bring bills down, then give us the numbers.”

Britain has five nuclear power plants in operation, four of which will have their lifetime extended, according to an announcement in December by their French operator EDF. Under the current system, only eight sites in the UK can be used for nuclear plants – these rules will now be scrapped.

China is currently building 29 nuclear reactors and the European Union has 12 at planning stage.

EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEdinburgh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%204%20%3Cem%3E(unchanged)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBahrain%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%2015%20%3Cem%3E(from%20September%2015)%3C%2Fem%3E%3B%20second%20daily%20service%20from%20January%201%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EKuwait%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20November%2015%20%3Cem%3E(from%20September%2016)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMumbai%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20October%2027)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAhmedabad%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20October%2027)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColombo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202%20%3Cem%3E(from%20January%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMuscat%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cem%3E%20%3C%2Fem%3EMarch%201%3Cem%3E%20(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELyon%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBologna%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%201%20%3Cem%3E(from%20December%201)%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Emirates%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Airev
Started: September 2023
Founder: Muhammad Khalid
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Generative AI
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
 
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE - India ties

The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner after the US and China

Annual bilateral trade between India and the UAE has crossed US$ 60 billion

The UAE is the fourth-largest exporter of crude oil for India

Indians comprise the largest community with 3.3 million residents in the UAE

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi first visited the UAE in August 2015

His visit on August 23-24 will be the third in four years

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, visited India in February 2016

Sheikh Mohamed was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2017

Modi will visit Bahrain on August 24-25

How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

Essentials

The flights

Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours. 

The package

Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.

Tuesday's fixtures
Group A
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Iran v Uzbekistan, 8pm
N Korea v UAE, 10.15pm
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5) Don't be rushed into a sale 

6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour

Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows

Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.

Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.

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After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.

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The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.

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Uefa Champions League final:

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Company name: Marefa Digital

Based: Dubai Multi Commodities Centre

Number of employees: seven

Sector: e-learning

Funding stage: Pre-seed funding of Dh1.5m in 2017 and an initial seed round of Dh2m in 2019

Investors: Friends and family 

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Updated: February 06, 2025, 1:42 PM`