Government outlines plans to select nuclear sites

The government has outlined how it plans to choose sites for nuclear power stations around the country, with construction planned for 2013-14.

The consultation on a Strategic Siting Assessment, published by the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) yesterday, sets out a draft process and criteria for selecting the sites.

Sites will be judged on a set of 'exclusionary' and 'discretionary' criteria:

• 'Exclusionary' criteria relate the basic suitability of a site and take in considerations like seismic risk and proximity to populated areas.
• 'Discretionary' criteria include "less absolute" issues that could make a site unsuitable, such as flooding, coastal conditions, and areas that are environmentally protected.

The sites identified through the process will still need to be considered throught the planning process.

The department expects to have finalised criteria by early 2009, and will then open invitations for the nomination of sites that could be suitable for nuclear generation in 2025.

A National Policy Statement will follow in 2010 and will include a list of the sites considered suitable.

The proposed Infrastructure Planning Commission would then deal with specific planning applications if the Planning Bill is approved. Construction could then start in 2013-14, in time to produce energy in 2017-20.

Business secretary John Hutton said: "Nuclear power is an essential part of our future energy mix. And alongside a ten-fold increase in renewables and investment in clean coal technology, it will help wean us off our dependency on oil and protect us against the politicisation of energy supplies."