Nuclear power plans are at risk, say peers

BRITAIN’S plans for a new generation of nuclear power stations may be hit if the Government bungles Brexit, peers warned today.

Medical research projects could also be undermined and nuclear power stations even left unable to acquire fuel from abroad, said the Lords Science and Technology Committee.

Britain is a member of Euratom, which aims to develop nuclear energy and distribute it to EU member states.

The Euratom Treaty provides the legal framework for civil nuclear power generation and radioactive waste management.

The Government has signalled that Britain will quit Euratom as it leaves the EU. However, the committee, chaired by Conservative peer the Earl of Selborne, said: “Membership of Euratom must not be allowed to expire without a suitable replacement being in place. Such an eventuality would put the UK at risk of losing its lead in fusion research and, in effect, throw away decades of research.

“It would put the UK at risk of losing access to the markets and skills it needs to construct new nuclear power plants and may leave existing power plants unable to acquire fuel.”

Energy minister Jesse Norman told the peers that leaving Euratom was a “regrettable necessity” and that the Government was “devoting significant resources” to maintain and potentially enhance Euratom benefits. @nicholascecil