UK TO EASE ECOLOGY RESTRICTIONS TO BUILD MORE NUCLEAR PLANTS – REPORTS

MOSCOW, March 14 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) -- The United Kingdom (UK) will ease wildlife protection rules as part of a new nuclear energy strategy that seeks to speed up the construction of more nuclear power plants, according to the Financial Times on Friday, which cited ecologists, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.

The UK government published a regulatory reform plan that envisages accelerating the construction of nuclear plants. It also proposes to speed up the approval process for defence nuclear projects following a review by a Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce led by John Fingleton, former CEO of the Office of Fair Trading.

"The Fingleton recommendations include damaging proposals that weaken nature protections in England, legal protections that are otherwise applied successfully across the whole of Europe," Alexa Culver, a lawyer at RSK Wilding environmental organisation, told the daily.

She called the recommendations yet another instance of irresponsible abandonment of environmental safeguards.

The changes will reportedly allow nuclear companies to avoid environmental scrutiny and replace it with payments. The government also reportedly plans to protect developers from damages in case of legal claims.

On February 6, the UK government published a Plan for Change to construct more nuclear power plants in the country and put into operation Small Modular Reactors for the first time.

The UK government has stepped up efforts to revive its nuclear sector amid delays in the construction of Sizewell C, the country's second nuclear plant to be built in 30 years, and the start-up of Hinkley Point C's first reactor.

In light of the energy crisis and import reliance, the government aims to quadruple capacity to 24 GW by 2050.

-- BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI