Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that investment in the civil nuclear sector supports the long-term resilience of the UK's wider nuclear skills base.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government’s commitment and investment in the civil nuclear sector provides greater certainty to industry, which supports recruitment and workforce development, Long-term resilience of the UK’s wider nuclear skills base is strengthened through delivery of the Nuclear Skills Plan.
Nuclear Skills Plan activity includes establishing regional skills hubs, which tailor national skills programmes to regional needs and career switcher programmes that rapidly transition experienced professionals into priority civil and defence nuclear roles. Government is also investing £65.6 million to support more than 500 doctoral students in nuclear and develop a pipeline of future subject matter experts.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on ensuring a skilled workforce for the (a) civil and (b) defence nuclear sectors.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Through the Nuclear Skills Plan, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Ministry of Defence work collaboratively with the nuclear industry organisations and academia in a coordinated effort to deliver the skilled workforce required for the civil and defence nuclear sectors.
Nuclear Skills Plan partner organisations have recruited thousands of apprentices and graduates and awarded bursaries and sponsorships to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Government is also investing £65.6 million of government funding to support more than 500 doctoral students in nuclear and develop a pipeline of future subject matter experts.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of large-scale nuclear in creating jobs and on economic growth.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Gigawatt-scale projects are delivering major benefits to local and national economies in support of the government’s growth agenda.
EDF reports that the Hinkley Point C project supports 26,000 direct and indirect jobs across Britain and contributes £13.3 billion to the national economy.
According to estimates by Oxford Economics, Sizewell C - an above ground replica of Hinkley Point C - will support 17,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide at peak construction, and contribute £26.6 billion to the economy across all regions of the UK over the construction period, with plans for 70% of construction spend to be placed with UK companies.
The government has tasked Great British Energy - Nuclear with identifying suitable sites that could host a potential large-scale new nuclear project. GBE-N will report to Ministers by Autumn 2026 on potential sites to inform future decisions in the next Spending Review and beyond.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, in what way a fleet-deployment approach to gigawatt-scale nuclear development will support the civil nuclear supply chain and help ensure its long-term readiness and competitiveness.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Gigawatt-scale projects are delivering major benefits to local and national economies in support of the government’s growth agenda.
EDF reports that the Hinkley Point C project supports 26,000 direct and indirect jobs across Britain and contributes £13.3 billion to the national economy.
According to estimates by Oxford Economics, Sizewell C - an above ground replica of Hinkley Point C - will support 17,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide at peak construction, and contribute £26.6 billion to the economy across all regions of the UK over the construction period, with plans for 70% of construction spend to be placed with UK companies.
The government has tasked Great British Energy - Nuclear with identifying suitable sites that could host a potential large-scale new nuclear project. GBE-N will report to Ministers by Autumn 2026 on potential sites to inform future decisions in the next Spending Review and beyond.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
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 level of contribution that new large-scale nuclear power stations could make to enhancing the UK's energy security.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Large-scale nuclear power stations, including Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C, will continue to make a vital contribution to our homegrown clean and secure energy mix, complementing small modular reactors.
To pursue the option of further potential large-scale nuclear, the government has tasked Great British Energy - Nuclear (GBE-N) with identifying other suitable sites that could potentially host such a project. GBE-N will report back to Ministers by Autumn 2026 on potential sites to inform future decisions in the next Spending Review and beyond.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the scheduled closure of Torness, Hartlepool and Heysham nuclear power stations on baseload electricity supply.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Currently, nuclear generation provides around 15% of total electricity. The four Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) stations at these locations are operating beyond their original forecasts, with current expected closures being planned well in advance by the operator (EDF). In September 2025, EDF announced Heysham 1 and Hartlepool power stations are now scheduled to generate until March 2028, an extension of 12 months. Heysham 2 and Torness are both scheduled to generate until March 2030. EDF’s ambition is to continue electricity production at its four generating AGR stations for as long as it is safe and commercially viable to do so and will keep station lifetimes under review.
Energy security is a priority for the government, and we work closely with the National Energy System Operator (NESO), Ofgem and key industry stakeholders to constantly monitor electricity supply against forecast demand to ensure electricity operators have the right tools to respond to market signals.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
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 suitability of sites across the United Kingdom for new large-scale nuclear power station development.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
To pursue the option of further potential large-scale nuclear beyond Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C, the government has tasked Great British Energy - Nuclear (GBE-N) with identifying other suitable sites that could potentially host such a project.
GBE-N will report back to Ministers by Autumn 2026 on potential sites to inform future decisions in the next Spending Review and beyond.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what plans his Department has to support additional large-scale nuclear power stations beyond Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
To pursue the option of further potential large-scale nuclear beyond Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C, the government has tasked Great British Energy - Nuclear (GBE-N) with identifying other suitable sites that could potentially host such a project.
GBE-N will report back to Ministers by Autumn 2026 on potential sites to inform future decisions in the next Spending Review and beyond.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has carried out an assessment of the potential impact of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority estate's voluntary exit scheme on the (a) delivery of objectives and (b) trends in the level of operating costs at the former Trawsfynydd nuclear power station.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) remains focused on delivering its statutory mission to keep former nuclear sites safe and secure while progressing decommissioning and managing waste. To achieve this efficiently, the NDA has introduced voluntary exit schemes as part of wider organisational restructuring and cost management measures. These schemes are designed to ensure resources are directed to front-line hazard reduction and decommissioning, while maintaining safe operations at all sites, including Trawsfynydd.
The NDA continues to monitor delivery against objectives and operating costs as part of its normal governance processes, alongside its commitment to supporting people and communities through investment in skills and economic diversification.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he had with the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on the implementation of that organisation's voluntary exit scheme before it was introduced; and whether he approved the implementation of the voluntary exit scheme.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
As part of this approach, the NDA has introduced voluntary exit schemes across its group to support organisational restructuring and create efficiencies. All NDA MAVE schemes received the appropriate Government approval.