Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the US joint Department of Army and Department of Energy Project Janus, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of helping develop small modular reactors.

The government is committed to delivering a new golden age of nuclear, securing an abundance of clean energy, protecting family finances, taking back control of our energy supply, and tackling the climate crisis. The government has committed almost £17bn across the Spending Review period to the most ambitious nuclear new build programme for a generation. This includes over £2.5bn across the Spending Review period to enable one of Europe’s first small modular reactor programmes.

Government recognises the potential benefits offered by different uses of advanced nuclear, including: supplying electricity to the grid; off-grid solutions, including supplying data centres via private wire; and providing heat to support industrial decarbonisation.

In September last year, the UK and the US signed a high-level agreement to collaborate on nuclear energy and fusion under the Tech Prosperity Deal. As part of that agreement, the Government committed to exploring opportunities for novel applications of advanced nuclear energy, including strengthening energy resilience for the Participants’ defence facilities on which we continue to engage.