Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 24 June 2026 [Draft]
24 Jun 2026 · S7 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Nuclear Power in Scotland
I thought that the member would return to the South Korea example. Clearly, it had lower labour costs, material costs and so on, and a different regime. However, if the plants are so good in South Korea, I would like an explanation of why South Korea has changed tack and dropped its nuclear strategy, because the new president says that they take too long to deliver.
I thought that we would hear from Liam Kerr that small modular reactors will save the day, despite the fact that the only operational SMRs are in Russia and China; despite the fact that SMRs are not small and produce more waste pro rata than large-scale nuclear; and despite the fact that NuScale’s SMR project in Utah collapsed once costs spiralled to nearly £7 billion for a single station. Rolls-Royce has promoted SMRs for about 10 years and, in June 2025, Ed Miliband confirmed that a final investment decision for the first unit was several years away. However, somehow, a few months later, the Labour Government placed an order for three SMRs to be built at Wylfa. It beggars belief that the process was that far advanced in three months. [Interruption.]
I will take—
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Katy Clark)
Lab
The next item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S7M-00258, in the name of Liam Kerr, on nuclear power in Scotland.Motion debated,That the P...
Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
In the years since I first contributed to a debate in this Parliament on new nuclear power in Scotland, four of the six parties in the chamber have come to s...
Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP)
SNP
The member keeps talking about baseload. Does he realise that, as long ago as 2015, the then chief executive of National Grid said that baseload was an “outd...
Liam Kerr
Con
For the member to stand up and say that baseload is an outdated concept is an extraordinary intervention. As I reminded him about three weeks ago, he does no...
Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP)
SNP
I congratulate the member for securing the debate, which seems, in effect, to be on behalf of the trade body the Nuclear Industry Association. It will come a...
Liam Kerr
Con
What the member has said is not true. As I said in my remarks, Hinkley Point C’s strike price is about £131 per megawatt hour, and the strike price for float...
Alan Brown
SNP
The member is not listening to me. Okay—I said that the strike price was £130 for Hinkley Point C, and it is £131, so I stand corrected there.The strike pric...
Duncan Massey (North East Scotland) (Reform)
Reform
The member makes some good points about Hinkley Point C, but that probably highlights issues with the planning and regulatory regime in the UK, as is the cas...
Alan Brown
SNP
I thought that the member would return to the South Korea example. Clearly, it had lower labour costs, material costs and so on, and a different regime. Howe...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Katy Clark)
Lab
The member is already in additional time so he should not take any interventions.
Alan Brown
SNP
Okay—thank you, Presiding Officer.Of course, it is undeniable that new nuclear will create jobs. Give me £400 billion and I could create jobs in marine energ...
Stephen Kerr (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
Alan Brown says that nuclear is not clean energy. He should tell his beloved European Union that, because it has redesignated nuclear as green and clean. He ...
Alan Brown
SNP
I will go back to the point about the reliability of nuclear power. Aside from the stat that I gave earlier—that nuclear is operational only 78 per cent of t...
Stephen Kerr
Con
Alan Brown is again finding some spurious reason to deny the reality of the reliability of nuclear power. Yes, there may be bottlenecks in the transmission s...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Katy Clark)
Lab
The member cannot take any further interventions.
Stephen Kerr
Con
It is because France has determined to become truly independent in terms of energy sources, including nuclear, which is the backbone of its energy system.The...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Katy Clark)
Lab
I remind members that they must show courtesy and respect to other members at all times.18:19
Paul Sweeney (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
I thank Liam Kerr, who is a member for North East Scotland, for lodging this motion for members’ business, which I was pleased to sign.Scotland gave the worl...
Michelle Campbell (Renfrewshire North and Cardonald) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Paul Sweeney
Lab
Yes.
Michelle Campbell
SNP
I point to my entry in the register of members’ interests as a serving councillor on Renfrewshire Council.The Scottish councils committee on radioactive subs...
Paul Sweeney
Lab
Absolutely. Inevitably, existing nuclear reactors will have to be decommissioned. That is an important part of the sector. However, we need to look at how to...
Tim Eagle (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
I thank my colleague Liam Kerr for securing the motion for debate. He has done a sterling job of representing the nuclear industry for many years. It was als...
Paul Sweeney
Lab
The member might want to note the heritage of Dounreay, in his part of the world. The pioneering development there is to try to create a closed-loop zero-was...
Tim Eagle
Con
I absolutely recognise that. The member has just taken me back to a tour that I was given of Dounreay, which was an experimental site—did it have fast reacto...
Miles Briggs (Edinburgh and Lothians East) (Con)
Con
I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate on nuclear power in Scotland, and I congratulate my friend and colleague Liam Kerr on securing...
David Green (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (LD)
LD
I, too, congratulate Liam Kerr on securing the debate. As he knows, I share the concern, which has been echoed by Stephen Kerr, Paul Sweeney and Miles Briggs...
Paul Sweeney
Lab
David Green makes an excellent point about Dounreay, but does he recognise that one of the key advantages of repowering existing sites is that they are alrea...
David Green
LD
Yes, I absolutely agree with Paul Sweeney, and I will come on to talk about the connection between decommissioning and the opportunities for new nuclear ener...
Liam Kerr
Con
I am very much enjoying David Green’s contribution. When I took an intervention earlier on decommissioning, which the member concerned was right to raise, it...