UK nuclear regulators set out plans to implement reforms

The Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce was announced by then Prime Minister Keir Starmer in February 2025. Led by John Fingleton, former CEO of the Office of Fair Trading, the taskforce's objective was to speed up the approval of new reactor designs and streamline how developers engage with regulators. In its final report, published in November, the taskforce said a "radical reset" was needed and outlined 47 recommendations for the government to speed up building new nuclear projects at a lower cost and on time.

In March this year, the government outlined its plans to speed up nuclear delivery. All reforms are expected to be completed by the end of next year, subject to legislative timelines. Then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, wrote an open letter to industry and regulatory leaders, setting out the need for substantial change at all levels within the sector. The Chancellor asked industry and regulators to assess the way their organisation approaches risk management and to challenge themselves on whether those responsible for risk management were properly equipped and empowered to make proportionate judgements on acceptable risk. Recipients were asked to respond to the letter within six months, setting out their plans to implement the required changes.

The nuclear industry in the UK is primarily regulated by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), an independent statutory body. However, environmental impacts and radioactive waste disposal are managed separately by environmental agencies: the Environment Agency (EA) in England, Natural Resources Wales, and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

The ONR and EA have now published their responses to current Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey, setting out how they plan to speed up nuclear project delivery across the UK.

In his reply, ONR CEO and Chief Nuclear Inspector Mike Finnerty describes how the regulator is transforming its approach to keep pace with a rapidly growing nuclear sector, while continuing to maintain strong safety, security and safeguards standards, protecting people and the public. Central to this transformation is ONR Together, the regulator's new rolling strategy for becoming "a more modern, agile and productive organisation".

"ONR has taken concrete steps to turn this ambition into practice, including the creation of a Lead Nuclear Regulator Group to improve coordination between regulators and resolve issues earlier in major programmes, and an Industry CEO Forum bringing together senior leaders from across government, industry and regulation to tackle the behaviours that contribute to unnecessary delay," the ONR said. "Revised safety case guidance has been published to help industry produce clearer and more proportionate safety arguments without compromising standards, and a review of regulatory processes is identifying where decision-making can be made more focused and streamlined. The regulator is also modernising how it assesses new reactor designs, adopting a more flexible approach within Generic Design Assessment programmes and working towards fleet-based regulatory models for a range of reactor technologies.

"Looking ahead, ONR is supporting government proposals for a Commission for Nuclear Regulation and reforms to its charging model, while expanding international collaboration to enable mutual learning and the efficient deployment of proven nuclear technologies."

Finnerty said: "Nuclear has a critical role to play in the UK's energy future, and industry, government and regulators can work together with collaboration and confidence. The government has set its strategic direction for a growing nuclear sector, and so it's our job to regulate this industry so that it remains safe and new projects can be deployed without unnecessary delay. Our continuing commitment to risk-informed, outcome-focused regulation means we can be both more agile in enabling nuclear delivery and unwavering on safety, focusing our effort where it delivers the greatest benefit."

The Environment Agency in its response said: "We fully support the Review's ambition to improve the pace, predictability and proportionality of nuclear regulation while maintaining high standards of environmental protection and public confidence. We have therefore established a Nuclear Transformation Programme to coordinate delivery of the Review's recommendations, particularly those relating to organisational effectiveness, culture, proportionality and regulatory coordination.

"We have already taken significant steps to strengthen our delivery by bringing our nuclear strategy and regulatory functions together under a single leadership structure reporting to the Chief Regulator. This provides clearer accountability, faster decision-making and stronger strategic oversight, ensuring the Environment Agency is better positioned to support the safe growth of the UK nuclear sector while maintaining high environmental standards."

The agency added that "securing sufficient nuclear expertise to deliver these reforms alongside our existing regulatory responsibilities will be critical".