Planned UK nuclear reactors unlikely to help hit green target, say MPs

Sizewell B nuclear power station stands behind a fence marking the site of the under-construction Sizewell C. The government is planning another nuclear power station for either Wylfa on Anglesey or Moorside in Cumbria. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

MPs have warned that a planned fleet of small nuclear reactors are unlikely to contribute to hitting a key target in decarbonising Britain’s electricity generation, as the government opened talks to buy a site in Wales for a new power station.

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) said that ministers’ approach to developing factory-built nuclear power plants “lacks clarity” and their role in hitting a goal of moving the grid to clean energy by 2035 was unclear.