Welcome to the Office for Nuclear Development (OND).
From these webpages you can find out about the Government’s policy on nuclear energy and work currently underway in the OND.
The aim of the OND is to facilitate new nuclear investment in the UK.
The Strategic Siting Assessment is a process for identifying and assessing sites which are potentially suitable for the deployment of new nuclear power stations by the end of 2025, and is one of the facilitative actions that Government announced in the White Paper on Nuclear Power that it would undertake to allow energy companies the option of investing in new nuclear power stations.
We received nominations for sites from energy companies on the 31st March 2009. All the nomination information was published on the DECC: Nuclear Power Siting website and the public had one month to supply initial comments. We are currently reviewing the nominations, input from regulators and other specialists, and comments from the public, and a list of sites it finds to be potentially suitable for the deployment of new nuclear power stations by 2025 will be published as part of the draft National Policy Statement for Nuclear Power later this year and will be subject to public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny.
To find out more about the Strategic Siting Assessment, and to register your interest to receive updates on the forthcoming consultation on the National Policy Statement please visit the DECC: Nuclear Power Siting website.
We have decided to restructure HSE’s Nuclear Directorate (ND) to improve the organisational framework for the sustained delivery of robust, effective and efficient nuclear regulation in the UK. This will place the ND in a better position to meet the future challenges posed by ongoing changes to the nuclear industry, including the demands of a possible new nuclear power programme.
Under the proposals, legislation would be used to re-establish the Directorate as an independent Statutory Corporation, within the auspices of HSE.
Subject to the outcome of the consultation and Parliamentary approval, the change will improve transparency and accountability and raise the profile of nuclear regulation. The restructuring will not change the substance or standards of regulation or compromise the independence of the nuclear regulatory body, and will not affect the decisions it takes or the international obligations the Government requires it to meet. If the Parliamentary timetable permits, the aim is to bring the new body into being during 2010.
A further anticipated benefit would be the enhanced ability of the nuclear regulator to attract and retain the right numbers of highly skilled and experienced staff, which will help to deliver regulatory decisions in a more consistent and timely manner.
DECC and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will run a public consultation on the proposals over the summer.
More information is available on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE): Nuclear web pages.
In January 2008, following publication of the White Paper on Nuclear Power the Government asked Dr Tim Stone to conduct a review of nuclear regulation. Dr Stone has now reported his findings, and on 27 January 2009 we published the Summary Recommendations and the Government’s Response to the review.
We have recently published an updated indicative timeline for the new nuclear build programme. It sets out at a strategic level how the key parts of the new nuclear programme fit together, including activity being led by DECC, the regulators, National Grid and others.
To make it easier for the public to understand how they can “have their say” in the new nuclear programme we are also issuing today a Consultations Map. It will explain in simple terms what the key new nuclear consultation and other public facing exercises will be, when they will happen, and how they feed into the wider programme.
In line with one year on from the publication of the Nuclear White Paper, the Office for Nuclear Development is also issuing today an assessment report to recognise the milestones achieved and identify the challenges ahead.
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