The Advanced Nuclear Framework: A Defining Moment for the Sector?

Last week saw the publication of the long-awaited Advanced Nuclear Framework, a significant policy step and another sign of the government’s commitment to new nuclear development.

In this blog, our Co-Founder Saranne shares her thoughts.

C3 Co-Founder Saranne Postans

Clarity and endorsement 

Perhaps most surprising, at least for me, was the level of clarity in the document. There is a clear expectation that projects will be privately financed, with potential access to seed funding from the National Wealth Fund, and commercially driven, with a focus on building new nuclear linked to other developments such as data centres or energy intensive industry.  

Most significant, from the perspective of developers, will be the commitment from government to create a pipeline of projects, with ‘in principle’ government endorsement. Early government support for projects has been a hot topic across the industry for many years, and this commitment marks a significant, positive shift.  

The introduction of an Advanced Nuclear Pipeline, a formal process through which developers can submit their projects for assessment is not a competition, or a procurement exercise. Rather, it’s a kind of credibility filter, designed to identify the most viable, investable projects. For developers, acceptance onto the pipeline is significant, it’s a signal to investors, supply chain partners, and endusers that the government sees the project as strategically aligned and viable.  

The framework also outlines how government support may be applied, recognising that certain sector-specific risks are difficult for the market to bear and, as such, may offer targeted interventions in support of development.  

The realities of deployment 

Of course, projects need to be realistically deployable and the framework also addresses the practical enablers that are needed, including planning, regulation, fuel, skills, and sites. This is important in enabling projects to move from concept to construction.  

Some key areas the framework addresses are: 

• EN7 (the National Policy Statement for Nuclear) bringing SMRs and AMRs into the Development Consent Order regime, providing a clear and predictable planning pathway 

• A commitment to build capacity and encourage early engagement between developers and the regulators, meaning that developers can build understanding and (hopefully) progress through the regulatory process in shorter timescales 

• Further development of the nuclear fuel strategy, with government investment in HALEU production that will support future reactor designs. 

  
  

Of course, for us at C3, it’s heartening to see that the framework also takes a broader perspective, with a roadmap for engagement with local authorities, industrial energy users, supply chain companies, and skills providers. This demonstrates that the government is looking beyond the technology to the impacts and benefits new nuclear can have on the economy at national, regional and local levels.  

The key engagement challenge now is to ensure that this opportunity is communicated clearly to all industry stakeholders, including investors, communities, policymakers, and the public. Ensuring confidence keeps pace with ambition will be key. 

C3 Communications provide specialist, strategic communications and engagement services to support the successful delivery of energy and infrastructure projects.  We have extensive industry experience and expertise, particularly in nuclear, and we are passionate about the projects we work with, offering an expert guiding hand for developers. 

If you’d like to discuss a project with us, get in touch at hello@c3communications.co.uk