November 2020
Price: £95 PLUS VAT
Format: DOWNLOADABLE PDF
***Full-scale policy conference taking place online***
This conference will examine the future of the UK nuclear sector - looking at priorities for funding projects, delivering new builds, and industry innovation.
A scan of key developments and background:
- net zero - the Prime Minister reiterating in the Commons his support for nuclear power as significant potential contributor to meeting the UK’s policy ambitions
- Government considers taking equity stakes in nuclear plants - reports of moves aimed at encouraging further sites to be built that would be confirmed in the Energy White Paper
- the Energy White Paper - opportunities for establishing a sustainable model for developing nuclear projects in the UK, following the collapse in Wylfa’s project negotiations last year, which was blamed by the Government on the inability to strike a fair deal for the taxpayer
- Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model for nuclear - consultation on its potential for supporting nuclear projects to attract private finance, appropriate risk sharing and the lowest cost for consumers
- Hitachi blames COVID-19 for pullout from UK nuclear project - reports on the company’s decision to withdraw from the £20bn Wylfa and Oldbury projects
- Innovative nuclear competition launch - are you ready for the challenge? - from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Innovate UK and backed by £3.9m
- the Nuclear Sector Deal - which set objectives around reducing construction and material costs by 2030, developing the skills base, and greater diversity in the sector
- Nuclear and radiological safety: review of the UK framework - recommendations in the International Atomic Energy Agency report, including greater sharing of operating and regulatory experiences, as well as creating a national strategy for nuclear safety
- Government investment to help build robots for nuclear plants and batteries for electric aeroplanes - £15m funding announced by BEIS and UKRI for commercialising robot technologies that can inspect, repair and maintain nuclear power stations remotely
The discussion:
Business model development and moving forward with new-build
Priorities for policymakers and industry stakeholders in tying together ambitions to attract private finance, share risk fairly, and achieve value for money - with discussion expected on:
- risk management - the balance between private and public investor exposure, long-term price stability, delivery timelines, fiscal discipline, insurance, industry collaboration, and construction costs
- model design - stakeholder and supply chain engagement, project management, reproducible approaches, and utilising proven technologies
- investor confidence - the impact of scrapped nuclear developments on engagement with private capital, and options for stabilising investment environments and continuing to support local economies and supply chains
Enabling innovation across nuclear technologies
- key opportunities - the way forward for developments in technology, strategy and financing models that can extending UK leadership into existing and emerging markets
- project development and innovation - how opportunities can be accelerated, looking at:
- advanced technologies - next steps for Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)
- funding - the potential impact of recent announcement of £40m to kick start next-gen nuclear technology for accelerating research and project design, and tackle project delivery challenges
- UK to take a big ‘STEP’ to fusion electricity - and priorities for proof of concept and commercialising technology for a global market
- technological and financial hurdles for innovation - tackling engineering challenges, commercialising new materials and manufacturing techniques, and reducing costs down supply chains
Support for the sector
- developing the domestic industry base - including local and regional clusters, and employment and skills opportunities
- enabling collaboration across the UK - including supporting the development of innovation clusters throughout UK regions:
- engaging with local industrial strategies and supporting local economic growth
- building up the domestic supply chain for nuclear, and creating more manufacturing and construction capacity in the UK
- supporting the development of the skills needed through engagement with higher education
Regulation and international partnerships
- keeping pace - how to ensure that frameworks for the nuclear sector are fit for purpose and support sector development and innovation through changing market conditions
- Euratom - evaluating the UK’s decision to leave the European Atomic Energy Community:
- ensuring standards are maintained - and the potential impact of any divergence from European standards
- protecting relationships - including existing collaborations around fuel supply, waste management, and research projects
- harmonisation - options for alignment with international standards, and opportunities for unlocking greater collaboration, trade, and export potential with international partners
The agenda:
- The future for regulating the UK nuclear sector and ensuring regulation is agile, fit for purpose, and harmonised with international standards
- Case study: designing a stable funding and development model for nuclear projects in the UK, and latest progress on the Hinkley Point C project
- Priorities for progressing nuclear new builds and establishing project reliability, stability, and reduced investment risk
- Progress on nuclear decommissioning, and the opportunities for UK expertise and logistics to lead internationally
- The future of nuclear innovation in the UK and the wider global context - developing advanced technologies, fusion reactors, and tackling engineering and cost challenges
- Latest thinking on expanding industry-wide collaboration - creating local, regional and national nuclear clusters, innovating manufacturing and materials, and narrowing the skills gap
- Next steps for the UK nuclear industry and the priorities for delivering new builds, stable development models, and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050
Policy officials attending:
Our forums are known for attracting strong interest from policymakers and stakeholders.
This conference is no different. Places have been reserved by officials from BEIS; the Nuclear Innovation & Research Office (NIRO); the Department for International Trade; the Planning Inspectorate; the National Audit Office; Defra; the Department for Transport; the Maritime & Coastguard Agency and the Welsh Government.
This is a full-scale conference taking place online***
- full, four-hour programme including comfort breaks - you’ll also get a full recording to refer back to
- information-rich discussion involving key policymakers and stakeholders
- conference materials provided in advance, including speaker biographies
- speakers presenting via webcam, accompanied by slides if they wish, using the Cisco WebEx professional online conference platform (easy for delegates - we’ll provide full details)
- opportunities for live delegate questions and comments with all speakers
- a recording of the addresses, all slides cleared by speakers, and further materials, is made available to all delegates afterwards as a permanent record of the proceedings
- delegates are able to add their own written comments and articles following the conference, to be distributed to all attendees and more widely
- networking too - there will be opportunities for delegates to e-meet and interact - we’ll tell you how!
Full information and guidance on how to take part will be sent to delegates before the conference
