The Government has released its draft Nuclear National Policy Statement (EN-6) on the 9th November 2009.

The draft Nuclear NPS contains similar information to that found in the other draft technology-specific energy NPSs, but differs in that it also list sites that the Government has judged to be potentially suitable for the deployment of new nuclear power stations by the end of 2025. This is intended to reduce uncertainty about the siting of new nuclear power stations and to reduce the extent to which the IPC needs to consider alternative sites as applications come forward for development consent. The list of sites in the draft Nuclear NPS is the output from the Government’s Strategic Siting Assessment (SSA) process.

The Strategic Siting Assessment accepted nominations for sites in England and Wales, and the Nuclear NPS will have effect only in relation to England and Wales. This is because the legal power to consent onshore electricity generating stations with a capacity of over 50MW, including new nuclear power stations, has been executively devolved to Scotland and devolved to Northern Ireland.

The Overarching NPS sets out the policy on how the assessment of development consent applications should be undertaken and contains policy on the IPC’s assessment of alternative sites.

This Part contains additional policy on the consideration of “alternative sites” and the Government’s policy on the siting of nuclear power stations. This Part also contains policy on the assessment of other considerations that will be relevant to the IPC in reaching its decisions. These are: consideration of good design; consideration of combined heat and power and consideration of climate change adaptation and also sets out the Government’s policy on the management and disposability of radioactive waste produced by new nuclear power stations.

The Government’s policy is that before any site for a new nuclear power station is subject to a development consent application to the IPC, it should have been subject to a strategic siting assessment. This is to ensure that the Government has assessed the site’s strategic suitability and to reduce public anxiety arising from uncertainty about the possible sites of new nuclear power stations.

The RTPI has responded to the Nuclear Strategic Siting Assessment criteria in 2008 and can be accessed here.

Energy & Climate Change Select Committee

Click here to read the RTPI's submission to the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee review of the Energy NPSs.

Consultation process for Energy National Policy Statements

The RTPI submitted its response to the National Policy Statements for Energy Infrastructure on the 22nd February 2010.

Planning Aid have also prepared summary sheets for all NPSs which can be found here.

For more information on the Government's plans click here.

Return to our National Policy Statement page.

Author:

Rebecca Coates

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

09-Nov-09

Categories:

Policy 

Sections:

News & Media , The RTPI

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