In the realm of advanced nuclear, the UK finds itself at a pivotal moment. The question is no longer whether we can build a first unit, but whether we can establish repeatable delivery. This is a question of discipline, not exceptionality. The Advanced Nuclear Framework (ANF) and the push to "build big" again offer an opportunity to move from "first project" thinking to repeatable programme execution. But to seize this opportunity, the UK must address several key challenges.
One of the main challenges is the "missing middle" - the gap between initial projects and true fleet deployment. If we remain technology agnostic for too long, especially across the non-nuclear scope where most cost and schedule risk sits, we risk fragmentation into one-off projects with divergent standards. Fragmentation is the enemy of industrialisation.
To address this, the UK needs to create the conditions for convergence and repeatability. This means greater clarity of intent - how much advanced nuclear do we actually want, in what role, and to what baseline? Ambitions of around 24GW are often cited, but how much of that is expected to come from advanced nuclear, and on what delivery assumptions? Nuclear's capital intensity demands more certainty than most infrastructure sectors.
Another key challenge is the need for a more systemic approach to identifying and developing sites at pace. Programme and development capital, often tens or hundreds of millions, is far harder to secure than project capital. Without it, we limit our ability to establish a credible national pipeline.
A realistic view of capacity is also crucial. How many programmes can regulators, supply chains, and delivery organisations actually support at any one time? This question matters not just operationally, but to the capital markets that will ultimately judge whether a UK programme is investable.
In my opinion, the UK must also focus on supply chain development as a programme challenge, not a project-by-product. Suppliers need coordinated signals, common qualification routes, and deliberate learning capture. Without that, demand fragments, learning dissipates, and the benefits of repetition are lost.
The UK can learn from other capital-intensive sectors, such as offshore wind and oil and gas, where serial deployment created stable demand and supplier investment. In these sectors, modular fabrication became repeatable because standards were held and learning accumulated. Cost reduction came less from one-off innovation than from repetition.
In the global race for advanced nuclear, delivery, not novelty, will be the differentiator. The UK has the opportunity to move decisively from "first project" thinking to repeatable programme execution. By embracing discipline and convergence, the UK can establish itself as a leader in the advanced nuclear space and build the capability to build reactors again and again.
