§ Baroness Miller of Hendonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their estimate of the time it would take for a new nuclear power station to become operational from the date when a decision was made to build one (a) on an existing or former site; and (b) on a new site. [HL1259]
§ Lord Sainsbury of TurvilleThe estimated time to construct and commission a nuclear power station, from decision to build, through to the electricity generation stage, is between 10 to 15 years. It is difficult to state with more precision the time taken due to many influencing factors including: the location of the site; the type of reactor to be built; the length of time for the approvals processes; and the length of time for any public inquiry. The time taken for the building of a new plant on an existing site would be expected to be less, when compared to a new site, due to the grid connection infrastructure already being in place.