70th IAEA General Conference: UK national statement

Warmest congratulations on your appointment. The United Kingdom looks forward to working closely with you and wishes you every success.

Thank you also to the Director General and Secretariat for supporting the Agency’s continued success.

I’d also like to welcome Timor Leste to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Ever-stronger voices on nuclear non-proliferation will always be welcome. 

Events on the global stage remind us daily that nuclear power is essential to climate action, energy sovereignty and economic growth - with the IAEA playing a vital role in enabling its safe, secure and peaceful use.

And now, almost seventy years after the IAEA’s founding, we stand at the threshold of a nuclear golden age which we must realise together.

If this global nuclear age is to fulfil its promise, deployment, confidence and cooperation must advance together.

Which is why my first point is that the nuclear reactors of the future should be built for replication, not exclusivity.

The nuclear golden age must reach more countries and command broad confidence. Innovation must not become the preserve of a few countries.

For too long, nuclear development has meant bespoke projects, long timetables and barriers only the largest economies can overcome.

The next generation must use standard designs, flexible construction and repeatable delivery methods for durable global capability.

Through the essential work of the Agency, we must work together to build the skills, infrastructure, regulation and financing that all countries need to pursue nuclear.

The United Kingdom is putting that principle into practice, investing almost £17 billion to 2030 in its most ambitious nuclear new-build programme for a generation.

Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C demonstrate the value of replication: each will power six million homes for at least 60 years, with Sizewell C benefiting from Hinkley’s experience.