Steps are being taken by Government to improve the planning process for major building projects. These include setting up an Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), who’s job it would be to make planning decisions for major building projects based on National Policy Statements (NPS). National Policy Statements would set out why certain building projects are in the national interest.
Before new nuclear power stations can be built or operated the regulators need to be satisfied that they can be operated and, in time, decommissioned safely and securely and that there will not be a disproportionate impact on the environment.
Plans are being taken forward by Government to develop a geological disposal facility for radioactive waste, which was one of the recommendations of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM).
Measures are being put in place by Government to make sure companies building and operating new nuclear power stations meet the full costs of decommissioning the power station at the end of its life, and their fair share of the waste management and disposal costs.
A new process has been set up, by Government, to help decide where new nuclear power stations can be built. This is called Strategic Siting Assessment (SSA).
Before any new type of nuclear power station can be built it mush be shown that the benefits of introducing the new type of power station would outweigh the health detriment. This process is called Justification.
