NFLA says Nuclear Tax is a ‘poisoned chalice’ for public

Posted: 8th January 2022

NFLA says Nuclear Tax is a ‘poisoned chalice’ for public 

The UK & Ireland Nuclear Free Local Authorities (NFLA) is supporting calls to MPs to reject the Nuclear Energy Financing Bill when it comes back to the House of Commons for its Report Stage reading next Monday (10th January).

The Chair of the NFLA Steering Committee, Councillor David Blackburn, called the bill a ‘poisoned chalice’ for the British public: 

“This bill will mean that consumers will ultimately pay the cost of developing any new ultra-expensive nuclear power plants through a surcharge applied to customers’ electricity bills.  

“Civil nuclear projects are notorious for being delivered massively above budget and enormously behind time. Consequently, there are only two main players in the nuclear market, and these have had their financial fingers burned. 

“The government wants to sweeten the pill by introducing a new method of financing nuclear plants called the Regulated Asset Base. This will mean that customers pay for cost overruns and delays, and even the cost of abortive projects, whilst the developer and operator reap all of the rewards.”

The Nuclear Energy Financing Bill contains the proposed Regulated Asset Base which ‘allows a company to charge consumers to construct and operate new infrastructure projects.’ It will require consumers to pay a surcharge on their bills during the construction of a nuclear project, but also afterwards as electricity generated by new nuclear plants would be purchased at a premium price by the British Government, a cost passed onto consumers.

Councillor Blackburn added: “This represents a right royal rip-off of the British public, who will not only be paying to build these white elephants, but then paying the operator a premium price to generate from them. That’s like paying the mortgage payments for a house, and then having to pay a high rent for your property after you have bought it!

“Nothing about building new nuclear plants makes financial sense. They take too long and cost too much to build. They generate over-priced electricity. They cost a fortune, and take a century, to decommission at the end of their lives. And they leave a legacy of highly dangerous radioactive waste that must be safely managed for millennia.  

“The NFLA wants to see this nuclear folly abandoned and to invest the money in generating heat and power from renewable technologies; in smart grids and battery storage; and in retrofitting our homes with quality insulation to make them warmer and lower customers’ bills. That is how we will tackle the climate crisis. We urge all MPs to reject this crazy bill!”

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For more information, please contact Richard Outram, NFLA Secretary, at 

(Email) [email protected], (Mobile) 07583097793.