Reports: Ministers considering relaxing planning rules to accelerate small modular reactor rollout

Stuart Stone
clock • 3 min read
Credit: Rolls Royce
Image:

Credit: Rolls Royce

Government set to ease restrictions on where new nuclear plants can be built to enable faster roll out of small reactors, reports claim

Ministers are poised to relax planning rules in an attempt to make it easier to build mini nuclear power plants - known as small modular reactors (SMR) - in support of the government's ambitious clean...

To continue reading this article...

Join BusinessGreen

In just a few clicks you can start your free BusinessGreen Lite membership for 12 months, providing you access to:

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis, and opinion from Europe’s leading source of information on the Green economy and business
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our daily news alert
  • Our weekly newsletter with the best of the week’s green business news and analysis

Join now

 

Already a BusinessGreen member?

Login

More on Nuclear

Government confirms 'long overdue' reforms to speed up nuclear power delivery

Government confirms 'long overdue' reforms to speed up nuclear power delivery

Government commits to full implementation of Fingleton Review by end of 2027, unveils new planning guidance for clean energy projects, and stresses need to end UK's dependence on risky fossil fuels

Michael Holder
clock 13 March 2026 • 8 min read
Rolls-Royce SMR and Equilibrion to explore nuclear-powered SAF production

Rolls-Royce SMR and Equilibrion to explore nuclear-powered SAF production

Two firms join forces to explore potential for producing low carbon aviation fuel in the UK using nuclear power generated by small modular reactors

Michael Holder
clock 09 March 2026 • 2 min read
Hinkley Point C: EDF confirms further one year delay to flagship nuclear project

Hinkley Point C: EDF confirms further one year delay to flagship nuclear project

First reactor at 3.2GW nuclear power project in Somerset now expected to start commissioning in 2030, at a further cost of €2.5bn to EDF

Michael Holder
clock 23 February 2026 • 3 min read