Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will take steps to support the development of a small module reactor in the UK.

The Government's continuing priorities are to ensure that the 16GW of new nuclear capacity so far proposed by industry for deployment by 2030 remains on track and to create the right conditions for a long-term programme of nuclear power as part of the UK's cost-effective low carbon energy mix.

In addition to making further progress on the conventional new nuclear programme, the Government is also assessing the possible contribution that SMRs could make to the UK energy mix and potential high value commercial opportunities for UK firms. The Government has therefore commissioned a feasibility study to investigate and identify the scale of the opportunity presented by SMRs. The study is being conducted by an industry consortium, led by the National Nuclear Laboratory and will propose recommendations to Government for taking this forward in Summer 2014, reporting in the first instance to the Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board. These recommendations will inform the evidence base for the Government's policy decisions on its approach to SMRs.