NEWS UPDATE NUCLEAR POWER


Emissions trading scheme to get inline with Europe


Reports suggest that the UK government is seeking to relink the UK’s emissions trading scheme (UKETS) with the long established EU ETS. It will form a key agenda item at this spring’s planned EU:UK summit, which is the first such opportunity since Brexit when the EU and UK separated their carbon markets. UK permits have since traded at a significant discount to those traded in the EU. Relinking the schemes would deepen the liquidity of both markets and help both sides with the transition to net zero, according to consultancy Frontier Economics. It would also make it possible to avoid border frictions caused by the EU and UK imposing carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAMs), a tax on carbon-intensive imports such as steel, cement and fertiliser. Nick Thomas-Symonds, Cabinet


Office minister overseeing the reset discussions, has promised Britain would look to link to the EU’s emissions trading scheme to avoid disruption to UK business. He told the House of Commons business and trade committee: “Linking our respective systems is absolutely what the ambition is.”


It was impossible ever to find any


rational reason beyond dogma for ever setting up such duplicating clone schemes. Liberal Democrat spokesperson


on energy, Pippa Heylings, comments: ”There can’t be many UK businesses, involved with either the UK emissions trading scheme or the proposed Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, who will not welcome the news that the UK government is seeking to integrate both with their European counterparts.“ But Andrew Griffith, Conservative


shadow business secretary, warned: “We must avoid undoing Brexit by the back door by aligning with the EU’s low growth model.” To which Heylings responded: “Why is it so depressingly unsurprising that such a rational, economically wise move for Britain’s businesses, can still prompt such an unthinking response?”


06


Government reveals nuclear power ambitions


The UK government has announced significant reforms to planning regulations, enabling the construction of new nuclear power plants across England and Wales, including Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) for the first time. This initiative is part of the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, aimed at boosting energy security while creating thousands of skilled jobs. Under the new rules, developers will be able to build nuclear facilities in a wider range of locations, moving beyond the previously restricted eight sites established in 2011. The reforms include the removal of a set expiry date on nuclear planning permissions, allowing projects to progress without the risk of becoming time-limited. The UK has not seen a new nuclear power station built since 1995, lagging behind countries like China and members of the EU, which


For all the latest news stories visit www.eibi.co.uk The introduction of SMRs is


particularly significant, as these smaller reactors can be constructed more quickly and at lower costs compared to traditional nuclear facilities. They require less land, making them suitable for co-location with energy-intensive industries, such as artificial intelligence data centres. The government aims for these technologies to contribute to a cleaner and more affordable energy landscape. Initial projections suggest that


are advancing rapidly in nuclear technology, with numerous reactors either under construction or in the planning stages. A new Nuclear Regulatory


Taskforce will be established to improve regulations and support investment in the nuclear industry. This taskforce will align UK nuclear regulations with international standards, potentially expediting the approval process for new reactor designs and reducing bureaucratic hurdles that have previously hindered development.


the first SMRs could potentially be operational by the early 2030s, depending on site selection, regulatory approvals and construction timelines. In addition to enhancing


investment, the reforms are expected to support the UK’s ambitions for energy independence. The government has emphasised that nuclear power is essential for achieving long-term energy security and reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The government says that safety


and environmental standards remain a priority and proposed nuclear sites will still face rigorous criteria, including restrictions near densely populated areas and military installations.


Mixed messages on installing insulation


The UK government has long maintained an official website (energy-efficient-home.campaign.gov.uk), designed to provide advice and guidance to householders regarding easily available products they should consider having installed to save money on their energy bills. Up until late January, this site had always contained a


large section advising on installing insulation in lofts, roofs, or walls. And then suddenly on 23 January, all references to the desirability of installing any insulation at all in any home mysteriously vanished. Apart from that is a very small mention of underfloor insulation – currently a tiny proportion of the marketplace for insulation apart from in Scotland. Curiously, at the same time, government also published statistics on the number of homes that now had individual Energy Performance Certificates (the vast majority). These are required by law whenever occupancy changes. As well as providing efficiency ratings between A and G, it also noted that half the housing stock was still rated as D or below. Recipients of such low ratings always receive advice as


to which energy saving items should be installed in order to upgrade the rating. Every single one of those households with the lower EPC ratings have been advised to improve their insulation in their lofts, walls or roofs. Which is why up until 23 January, the government’s energy-efficient-home website always enthused about installing insulation. But no longer. No explanation for this strange discrepancy is


available. But those in the insulation industry noted that the mysterious censorship coincided with the publication of a list of 39 named companies by Trustmark. These companies would be “suspended” from now on from installing solid wall insulation under schemes that Trustmark oversees


(specifically, the Energy Company obligation and the GB Insulation Scheme). None of these 39 companies are exactly household


names. Nor for that matter are any of them members of the external wall insulation trade association, INCA (the Insulated Render & Cladding Association. It is understood this Association was never consulted by Trustmark regarding reputational standards or indeed the suspension decision. Each of the 39 suspended companies were one of the almost 400 companies that Trustmark apparently authorised to undertake solid wall insulation work – a far larger number than INCA believe to be qualified to be operating competently. It might well be presumed that an apparent lack of


quality control seems suddenly to be tarnishing the entire reputation of residential insulation – particularly within the parts of government that maintain the gov.uk website.


EIBI | FEBRUARY 2025


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