Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of utilising SMRs and other small and medium-sized nuclear projects for the co-generation of heat and power via district heat networks as part of the Great British Nuclear programme.

The Heat Networks and Nuclear teams at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero oversee potential for utilising nuclear power as a source of energy for heat networks, including collaboration on nuclear power station siting work and its effect on future heat network zones. Heat network zone potential would increase significantly if there were a viable nuclear power source nearby due to the abundance of waste/recovered heat. Government remain up-to-date on international research in this area through the IEA and international partners.