Skip to main content

Written question asked by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Conservative) on Thursday, 12 March 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 26 March 2026. It was answered by Lord Vallance of Balham (Labour) on Thursday, 26 March 2026 on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.


Nuclear Reactors: Design

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the generic design assessment process for advanced nuclear technologies is (1) faster, or (2) slower, and (a) more, or (b) less, costly, than for gigawatt-scale reactors.

Answer

The scope and schedule of a Generic Design Assessment is set by the Requesting Party. By far the biggest influences on schedule, and hence cost, are the maturity and stability of the design, and the quality and timeliness of the Requesting Party’s submissions. Prior engagement with the UK regulators, and access to relevant information and judgements from overseas regulators are other notable factors in determining schedule and cost.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL15463
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Design Nuclear reactors
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk