NIA Response to Energy Security and Net Zero Committee’s ‘Building Support for the Energy Transition’ Inquiry

The NIA is the trade association and representative body for the civil nuclear industry in the UK. We represent more than 300 companies operating across all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle, including the current and prospective operators of nuclear power stations, international designers, and vendors of nuclear power stations, and those engaged in decommissioning, waste management and nuclear liabilities management.

Executive summary

As a part of the energy transition, Government has committed to achieving Clean Power by 2030 and Net Zero by 2050 – meeting these targets is vital for the future of the planet and for generations to come. We should ensure we are not simply outsourcing our emissions by importing coal or gas generation from Europe counted as zero carbon.

Improving the UK’s clean electricity production capabilities is the foundation for this, to power our grid, electric vehicles, heat pumps and production of hydrogen and synthetic fuels. Furthermore, increasing domestic clean energy production is essential for energy security, national resilience and economic prosperity. As a proven source of clean, reliable energy that creates highly skilled and well-paying jobs, nuclear is vital to the UK’s energy transition. To ensure that the public understands Government decision-making during the critical lead-up to 2050, Government must understand the concerns behind the opposition to ‘net zero’ and accordingly emphasise the environmental, economic, and security benefits of the transition to communities across the UK. To support nuclear deployment as a part of the energy transition, we encourage Government to address misconceptions about nuclear energy and emphasise the benefits of nuclear for sustainability, job creation, and energy security.

Click here to view our response.

Further Information

The NIA is happy to provide more context, or any clarifications desired on the content of our response and to ask our members where appropriate for additional information that may be useful.

Please contact Elisabeth Roden, Policy Analyst for the Nuclear Industry Association, at [email protected] to do this.