The Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce Interim Report

The Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce 2025 (Taskforce) has been tasked with reviewing and making recommendations in respect of the UK’s nuclear regulatory framework. Last month, the Taskforce published an interim report, which sets out the Taskforce’s current views and where the Taskforce is seeking further action (Report).

Most notably, the Report highlights that the nuclear regulatory framework has become “complex and bureaucratic leading to huge delays and ballooning costs”. It also clearly signals a need for “radical reform” to enable more timely and cost-effective nuclear investment and delivery, while ensuring that the UK nuclear sector can fully capitalise on the resurgence of nuclear technology.

Remit of the taskforce

The Taskforce has been specifically tasked with reviewing nuclear safety, environmental and planning regulation, and providing recommendations on how the regulatory landscape can be improved to drive faster, better value for money delivery of both civil and defence nuclear projects.

The remit of the Taskforce is particularly important when considered against the context of increased investment in both the civil and defence nuclear sectors, as well as advances in nuclear technology. In terms of the civil nuclear sector, increased investment coupled with innovative nuclear technology, will help unlock more nuclear power and assist with the transition to net zero. Ensuring that the regulatory framework is fit for purpose is critical to ensuring progress is not hindered by unnecessary barriers.

Key takeaways from the report

The Report acknowledges that the UK’s regulatory framework is widely regarded as world-leading in several respects, including in terms of its strong safety record. In particular, the goals-based regulatory approach is seen as enabling adaptability and innovation, while the regulators themselves are widely respected for their expertise. However, the evidence examined by the Taskforce also points to significant challenges.

Notably, the Report highlights growing evidence that some countries are able to deliver nuclear projects at roughly half the cost of those in the UK – and attributes such disparity to more effective and efficient regulatory systems. There also appears to be growing concerns that the system is perceived as overly complex, unnecessarily slow, inefficient, and costly.

In light of such evidence, the Report identifies six key areas where reform is necessary:

• Risk Management and Proportionality: The current interpretation of risk management principles (including the “As Low as Reasonably Practicable” principle) promotes a risk-averse culture which increases cost. Similarly, there are disproportionate, duplicative and inflexible regulatory processes.

Key action: The Taskforce proposes to explore changes to nuclear, environmental, planning and permitting regimes.

• Complexity of the Regulatory and Planning Landscape: The planning and regulatory landscape is complex, overlapping, and inconsistent, with multiple, duplicative regulators. These factors impact deliverability, delay and cost, as well as serve as a barrier to new market participants.

Key action: The Taskforce will make recommendations as to how it can reduce duplication within and across regulators and how to achieve more efficient and effective processes.

• Enabling Delivery in Planning Regime: The current planning regime presents challenges for new emerging technologies. There are also concerns over the proportionality and effectiveness of the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project regime (which seeks to streamline the consenting process for major projects including in the energy sector), the lack of a fleet-based approach (i.e., standardising the delivery of similar projects).

Key action: The Taskforce will investigate how the planning regime can be reformed to enable innovation and promote the delivery of emerging technologies.

• Capacity, Capability and Culture: There is a shortage of nuclear expertise combined with a risk-averse culture, overly complex procedures and excessive bureaucracy, which threatens the sector’s ability to deliver effective, consistent and timely outcomes (particularly in a period where there is significant anticipated growth).

Key action: The Taskforce will explore options such as increasing capacity at the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator and will explore the option of a cultural transformation programme.

• International Harmonisation: There are potential benefits of international collaboration through alignment and standardisation of nuclear technology and regulatory approaches.

Key action: The Taskforce will analyse how adopting international approaches and standards could most effectively deliver benefits in the UK sector.

In its next phase of work, the Taskforce will focus on developing a strategic direction from government for improving the effective and efficient delivery of safe nuclear programmes, engage with stakeholders to refine proposals, and conduct analysis on international regulatory alignment and the economic case for reform. Final recommendations will be published in Autum 2025 and will be informed by continued consultation and feedback.

Concluding thoughts

The Report sets the stage for comprehensive reforms in the UK’s regulatory framework. There are repeated themes of complexity, planning challenges, duplication, and risk-aversion, causing inefficiencies, delays and increased costs. Interestingly, some of the issues drawn out in the Report as being positives of the current regulatory regime (e.g., the Report highlights that the current regulatory approach is seen as enabling adaptability and innovation) are in direct conflict with some of the issues also highlighted (e.g., the Report suggests that elements of the regulatory regime act as a barrier to new entrants and emerging technologies).

We look forward to reading the Taskforce’s final report this autumn and seeing how it proposes to deliver the recommended “radical reform” of the regulatory framework and whether such reforms will translate into practical improvements in the speed and cost of nuclear projects. Given the current delays and complexity in the nuclear industry, such change, if framed and targeted correctly, will no doubt be welcomed.

The Taskforce is seeking responses to a series of questions set out in the Report, and stakeholders are encouraged to review the interim findings and submit their views by 8 September 2025, to help shape their final recommendations.