A former boss of the competition regulator has been appointed to lead the UK Government’s nuclear taskforce.
John Fingleton, who stepped down as chief executive of the Office of Fair Trading in 2012 and now runs a regulatory consulting firm, will lead a panel of nuclear experts as part of the Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce.
He will be in charge of helping speed up new nuclear plants as part of the clean energy superpower mission and deliver a “nuclear renaissance”.
The independent taskforce will identify how nuclear regulation can better incentivise investment to deliver new projects more quickly and cost-efficiently, simplify processes and reduce duplication, whilst upholding high safety and security standards.
It follows the reform package set out by the Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this year, which included plans to scrap the set list of eight sites which means nuclear power stations could be built anywhere across England and Wales.
The expiry date on nuclear planning rules were also removed so projects don’t get timed out and industry can plan for the long term.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “Our Plan for Change and clean energy mission means it is time to build, build, build – it is time for a nuclear renaissance in this country and that can only happen if we move further and faster to break down the barriers.
“John is equipped with the right experience to drive this review with the urgency required to deliver on our nuclear ambitions.”
