NUC0049

Supplementary written evidence from the

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Thank you for inviting me to give oral evidence in front of the Wales Affairs Committee on 22/02/2023. There was an important point raised in the session, which I promised to respond to you in writing and have set out my response below.

Ruth Jones MP raised the question regarding the amount spent on nuclear decommissioning. As per the Energy Act 2008, all prospective new nuclear projects require a Secretary of State approved Funded Decommissioning Programme (FDP) before any nuclear related construction can begin on site. The purpose of the legislation is to ensure that the nuclear site licensee meets the full cost of decommissioning and the costs associated with waste storage, transportation and disposal. Hinkley Point C (HPC) is the only project which has an approved FDP to date, the documentation can be found on gov.uk and this includes the Decommissioning and Waste Management Plan (DWMP) which sets out the steps and costs of decommissioning Hinkley Point C. For Hinkley Point C the amount spent on decommissioning/waste is approximately £2 per MWh of the strike price of £92.50 per MWh.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is responsible for decommissioning 17 legacy nuclear sites spread across the UK. It has a planned expenditure for 2022/23 of £4.1bn of which £2.96bn will be taxpayer funded and £1.2bn will come from commercial income.

I hope this answers the questions posed during the session.

Kiera Harper, Deputy Director for Nuclear Power and Industry

March 2023