British and Irish lawmakers to examine role of nuclear power generation in long-term energy security

British and Irish lawmakers to examine role of nuclear power generation in long-term energy security

The role of nuclear power generation in achieving long-term energy security is to be explored by a committee of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly.

The new inquiry from the BIPA Committee on Climate, Energy, Science and Technology will look at the opportunities and challenges presented by nuclear power and at how nuclear generation might help meet energy demands in the coming decades.

In Ireland, nuclear fission-powered electricity generation plants and the use of nuclear power to generate electricity are both prohibited by law, and the policy of the Scottish Government is to oppose the construction of new nuclear power stations in Scotland. In contrast, the UK Government is aiming to increase the UK’s nuclear capacity over the next 25 years.

The Government of Ireland has stated that it does not intend to explore the development of nuclear-powered electricity generation in Ireland, but the increasing use of electricity interconnectors means that electricity used on the island of Ireland is now in part derived from nuclear generators located in Great Britain. Once the Celtic Interconnector project is completed in 2028, the island of Ireland is also likely to receive electricity generated from nuclear plants in France.

The Joint Statement issued by the UK Prime Minister and the Taoiseach after the Liverpool Summit in March last year also referred to the linkage of the UK and Ireland “through shared energy infrastructure and the Single Electricity Market (SEM) on the island of Ireland.”

In addition to looking at the advantages and disadvantages of the use of nuclear power across BIPA jurisdictions, the inquiry will examine the benefits and risks of the use of Advanced Modular Reactors and Small Modular Reactors over conventional large-scale reactors, and the impact of nuclear energy generation on energy costs and on the environment.

Darren Millar MS, Chair of the committee, said:

“Access to an affordable, sustainable and clean supply of energy is vital if we are to ensure long-term energy security. While each country rightly has its own approach to nuclear power, our new inquiry is a chance to look closely at the role nuclear generation could play in future energy security across jurisdictions, and the opportunities and challenges that nuclear technologies bring.”

Terms of reference

The Committee is inviting submissions in response to the following questions:

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages, opportunities and challenges of nuclear power generation as a means of achieving long-term energy security across BIPA jurisdictions?
2. Are there particular benefits or risks of Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) over conventional large-scale nuclear reactors?
3. To what extent will nuclear generation help to meet the energy demand in BIPA jurisdictions in the coming decades?
4. What is the environmental impact of nuclear power generation and the disposal of nuclear waste?
5. What effect is the greater use of nuclear power generation likely to have on energy costs for consumers in BIPA jurisdictions where nuclear facilities are in operation or under construction?
6. What alternatives exist to ensuring energy security across BIPA jurisdictions?
7. What are the prevailing attitudes towards nuclear power in each BIPA jurisdiction? What opportunities are there for cooperation between BIPA jurisdictions to ensure future energy security?
8. In the UK, to what extent is the framework for planning and delivering new nuclear infrastructure, including large-scale and modular technologies, effective? Is this sufficiently future-proofed?
9. Whilst the generation of electricity by nuclear power stations is currently illegal in Ireland, what is the current discourse or research around the future potential use of nuclear energy in Ireland, if such a ban were lifted?
10. What scope is there for greater cooperation between the governments of the UK and of Ireland on nuclear issues within the framework of cooperation in the March 2025 Joint Statement?

Submissions should be sent to horswells@parliament.uk or Emer.Hannon@oireachtas.ie.