Absence of defence spending plan ‘entirely unsatisfactory’ June 20, 2025 The government has been “entirely unsatisfactory” in failing to assess whether their defence spending plans are affordable, a group of senior MPs has said, in a damning assessment of ministers’ transparency. The row comes amid concerns spending on the nuclear deterrent would be higher than first assumed. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government would [...]
Rolls-Royce: Shares in FTSE 100 firm jump on SMR news June 10, 2025 A division of Rolls-Royce has been selected to be the UK’s provider of small modular reactor (SMR) technology. Rolls-Royce SMR, which is co-owned by the FTSE 100 giant and Czech power company CEZ, has been successful in the Great British Nuclear (GBN) competition following a two-year process. Following the news, shares in Rolls-Royce rose on [...]
Sellafield: MPs warn of ‘sub-optimal’ culture at UK’s most hazardous nuclear site June 4, 2025 MPs have warned of a “sub-optimal” culture at the UK’s most hazardous waste site following whistleblower allegations. Sellafield in Cumbria is managed by the Nuclear Decomissioning Authority (NDA) and is responsible for around 85 per cent of the UK’s nuclear waste. It has faced criticism for presiding over safety issues, cost overruns and whistleblower allegations [...]
Sizewell C nuclear power station to get green light in July June 3, 2025 Sizewell C well get the green light at the Franco-British summit in July as talks between ministers and the private sector continue. The UK government is expected to reaffirm its intention to invest in the nuclear power station at the spending review on June 11, with details about how much taxpayer support the project will [...]
Iran and US prepare for second round of talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme April 19, 2025 Iran and the US are preparing for a second round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme. The talks in Rome over Easter weekend will again hinge on US billionaire Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi. That talks are even happening represents a historic moment, given [...]
Iran rejects direct negotiations with US after Donald Trump letter March 30, 2025 Tehran has rejected direct negotiations with the US in response to a letter from Donald Trump over its rapidly advancing nuclear programme, the president of Iran has said. The remarks from Masoud Pezeshkian represented the first official acknowledgement of how Iran responded to Trump’s letter. It also suggests that tensions may further rise between Tehran [...]
Small modular reactors will help growth and clean energy go nuclear February 12, 2025 While France generates most of its energy from nuclear, Britain has the highest industrial electricity costs in the world. The upfront costs of small modular reactors are high, but so is the return on investment, says John Caudwell Last month was the hottest January on record globally. It was unexpected because the natural weather phenomena [...]
Free market groups welcome nuclear power planning reform February 6, 2025 Free market groups have welcomed the government’s plans to reform planning rules around building nuclear power plants as “excellent news”. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer today announced the overhaul in a bid to slash red tape, fast-track approvals for new reactors and create thousands of highly skilled jobs. Small modular reactors (SMRs) would be built [...]
Overhaul of planning barriers to nuclear power, Starmer announces February 6, 2025 An overhaul of planning barriers to make it easier to build new nuclear power plants has been announced by Keir Starmer. The move will create thousands of highly skilled jobs, the government said, as the Prime Minister confirmed red tape would be “slashed” in a bid to fast-track approval of reactors. It is set to [...]
‘A speculative figure’: Cost of Sizewell C nuclear plant nearly doubled since 2020 January 14, 2025 The cost of building Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk could reach nearly £40bn, according to reports. Developer EDF and the UK government anticipated the project’s final price tag would be around £20bn in 2020, as it struggled to bring down construction costs and reduce delays. But the Financial Times on Tuesday reported the [...]