National Policy Statements for Nuclear Energy Infrastructure: Review
House of Commons · Written Statements · 16 Jul 2026 · 1 speech · Official Report
My hon. Friend Lord Vallance of Balham, Minister of State for Science, Innovation, Research and Nuclear, has today made the following statement: My Lords, the nuclear regulatory review set out a stark challenge for all of us: Government, regulators and industry. The Government are meeting this challenge by taking forward all 47 recommendations. Delay has a cost, so we have committed to implementing these reforms by the end of 2027. As part of this we have set out our plan to introduce the nuclear regulation Bill in this parliamentary Session. We know that simply announcing reforms is not enough. I have chaired the first Nuclear Regulatory Implementation Panel. This panel will hold industry, regulators and the Government to account for implementing the delivery plans for each recommendation and driving the culture change required to build our nuclear nation. I am today informing the House of the Government’s intention to review and update the national policy statement for nuclear energy, EN-7, in response to the nuclear regulatory review. This statement is made in accordance with section 6(4A) of the Planning Act 2008, which requires the Secretary of State to lay a statement before Parliament announcing the review. EN-7, designated in 2025, established the planning policy framework for nuclear energy infrastructure in England and Wales, and introduced a modular approach that enables targeted updates while providing regulatory certainty. Since its designation, there have been...