Hinkley Point B nuclear power station is set to close this year
UK passes new nuclear financing model
New reactors to be financed during construction phase via regulated asset base model
The UK parliament has passed a bill to introduce a new regulated asset base (RAB) model for financing the construction of new nuclear energy projects. While contracts for difference (CfD) provide a subsidy for power generation once the plant is up and running, under RAB the government will pay a fixed return during the construction phase. For nuclear power plants, where construction schedules can run into the decades, this could incentivise private investment by lowering construction risk. Construction risk was blamed for the cancellation of at least two recent nuclear projects by Japanese conglomerates Hitachi and Toshiba. The RAB model places costs for new nuclear capacity onto energy bill
Also in this section
2 January 2026
This year may be a defining one for carbon capture, utilisation and storage in the US, despite the institutional uncertainty
23 December 2025
Legislative reform in Germany sets the stage for commercial carbon capture and transport at a national level, while the UK has already seen financial close on major CCS clusters
15 December 2025
Net zero is not the problem for the UK’s power system. The real issue is with an outdated market design in desperate need of modernisation
28 November 2025
The launch of the bloc’s emissions trading system in 2005 was a pioneering step, but as the scheme hits 21 its impact as a driver of decarbonisation is still open to debate
