Over the past 12 months the government has demonstrated its dedication to UK nuclear power with several critical new policy announcements. From funding new power stations and small modular reactors (SMRs), to streamlining the planning system so projects can be approved more quickly, a lot of time, resources and investment has been poured into the nuclear sector.
However, policy momentum doesn’t automatically translate into delivery and with the UK’s ambitious target of producing enough clean power to meet its total annual energy demand by 2030 looming, pressure is mounting for the nuclear sector to move at pace.
To advance the UK’s clean energy industry, Keir Starmer established an independent regulatory taskforce to explore how the regulation of safety, environmental, planning, and other relevant areas could be improved. The taskforce recently published its final report, the Nuclear Regulatory Review 2025, revealing major barriers to the sector’s development, including high costs and a reluctance to embrace innovation.
Nuclear infrastructure projects are among the most complex to deliver, requiring exceptionally detailed planning, design, and technical specifications. Unfortunately, the taskforce’s report found that this complexity has led to an overreliance on bespoke solutions, unnecessarily driving up costs. It notes that the UK’s current nuclear planning regulatory framework is tailored to traditional large-scale reactors, making it difficult for innovative designs to gain regulatory approval. This also creates barriers for safer, novel technologies like Small and Advanced Modular Reactors (SMRs and AMRs) alongside the framework’s inherent complexity, which deters new entrants and stifles innovation.
SMRs and AMRs leverage advanced manufacturing approaches, such as modularisation, which uses prefabricated modules to cut costs, speed construction, and simplify decommissioning, something that the taskforce’s report finds would be beneficial across the wider sector too. Doing so would drastically alleviate long-standing challenges around cost overruns, skills shortages and programme delays.
The benefits modular brings to the nuclear sector have been clear for many years. In 2015, the Nuclear Innovation Research Advisory Board highlighted modular construction techniques as a priority for further research and innovation in its annual report, yet over a decade later the sector still hasn’t fully realised the benefits of modularisation. Slow adoption has left the nuclear industry behind, with methods that are now routine in other major infrastructure sectors still regarded as pioneering within nuclear.
Modularisation in nuclear projects provides clear benefits. For example, teams are provided with more flexibility as plant capacity can be scaled up or down simply by adding or removing modules as energy demands fluctuate. This gives SMRs and AMRs greater operational and commercial flexibility, while lowering long-term costs by enabling plants to be tailored more precisely to local needs, grid capacity and the number of households or industrial users they serve. Modular manufacturing can also streamline the decommissioning process as the units can be removed whole, rather than the structure having to be dismantled onsite.
Overall, this report calls for a shift towards modern manufacturing techniques and off-site construction not only for reactors, but for the buildings, systems, and infrastructure that surround them. One of the wider applications of modular construction that urgently needs to be considered in nuclear planning, and investment is in the delivery of the significant number of ancillary welfare buildings required to support a large workforce.
The construction of nuclear power plants employs thousands, often in isolated coastal regions which are chosen for their accessibility to water needed for cooling processes. In some cases, companies have to provide temporary accommodation for the entire duration of the project, which can be a significant number of years, so facilities need to be comfortable, compliant, and durable. Temporary pop-up towns are emerging as a viable solution in these sparse areas, providing on-site housing that cuts down on commuting, reduces emissions, and lessens impact on local communities.
Modular solutions provide developers with the ability to deploy these facilities quickly and effectively while complying with budget restraints. Modular units are constructed offsite, prefabricated in a factory setting using precision manufacturing. The process is quicker than its traditional, ‘bricks and mortar’ counterpart as modules can be designed, manufactured, transported and installed, sometimes in a matter of weeks. This reduces costs as it lessens time needed onsite and minimises the risk of delays from unforeseen circumstances, such as adverse weather. These facilities can include bespoke features, such as high ceilings, and flexible internal layouts. Mechanical–electrical and plumbing can also be integrated. To help developers stick to budget, rental modular facilities can be paid from OpEx, rather than CapEx budgets, providing teams with greater financial flexibility and avoiding large upfront costs.
Additionally, modules can be adapted and scaled with the phases of a project, so, ancillary support buildings, such as offices, can be quickly expanded or downsized based on workforce needs. At Hinkley Point C, modular solutions have been successfully implemented, from office spaces to catering facilities, showcasing their adjustability and cost-effectiveness.
Sustainability credentials are a key factor when it comes to nuclear energy infrastructure projects. Utilising modular buildings on a rental basis helps reduce carbon emissions whilst contributing to a circular economy. Installed and used throughout the duration of the project, once finished with, the modules are then re-used and redeployed, whether that’s elsewhere on the same project or a different one. Offsite construction also significantly reduces waste as precision manufacturing is used to ensure components are made to exact specifications, leading to fewer offcuts. Finally, sustainability features, such as solar panels, rainwater harvesting systems or smart plugs can also be integrated into modular buildings.
The Nuclear Regulatory Review 2025 highlights that while political commitment to nuclear power has strengthened, delivery will depend on the sector’s ability to modernise how projects are designed and built. There needs to be a shift towards modularisation and modern manufacturing if the UK is to achieve its clean power ambitions. Ultimately, modular construction needs to be embraced, not only in terms of reactors themselves, but also, the full range of infrastructure that supports nuclear projects, such as ancillary services and accommodation. By utilising innovative modern manufacturing and constructions methods, costs can be reduced and delivery accelerated across the board.
