# Energy Act 2023

**Full title:** Energy Act 2023
**Citation:** 2023 c. 52
**Official source:** [legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/52](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/52)
**Status:** In force (Royal Assent: 26 October 2023)
**Docket reference:** Ch01 Section 1.5.5, Ch06 Section 6.5 Recent Regulatory Developments

## Purpose

The Energy Act 2023 is a comprehensive energy statute covering decarbonisation, energy security, and nuclear. For the nuclear fuel cycle, its most significant provisions amend the Nuclear Installations Act 1965, establish Great British Nuclear, and address fusion regulation.

## Key Provisions Relevant to the Nuclear Fuel Cycle

### Part 2: Nuclear Regulation — Amendments to NIA 1965

#### Compensation for Nuclear Damage (Sections 13-17)

- **Increased compensation limits** for nuclear incidents, raising the operator's liability to align with the UK's accession to the **Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC)**.
- The CSC provides an international framework for supplementary funding beyond the operator's liability, enhancing compensation available to victims of a nuclear incident.

#### Fusion Exclusion (Section 18)

- **Excludes fusion energy facilities** from the NIA 1965 licensing regime.
- Fusion installations will not require a nuclear site licence, reflecting the government's position that fusion does not present the same hazards as fission (no long-lived radioactive waste, no risk of meltdown).
- Fusion facilities will instead be regulated under existing health and safety and environmental legislation.

#### Territorial Sea Extension (Section 19)

- **Extends the NIA 1965 licensing regime to the territorial sea** adjacent to Great Britain.
- This enables offshore nuclear installations (such as floating nuclear power plants or Small Modular Reactors on marine platforms) to be licensed.

### Part 3: Great British Nuclear (Sections 24-28)

- **Establishes Great British Nuclear (GBN)** as a body to facilitate and accelerate the deployment of new nuclear projects.
- GBN's functions include:
  - Supporting the development of new nuclear power stations
  - Running competitive processes for new nuclear technologies (e.g., the SMR competition)
  - Advising the Secretary of State on nuclear deployment

### Part 14: Civil Nuclear Provisions (Sections 274-283)

- Provisions relating to the governance of the NDA and civil nuclear constabulary.
- Amendments to special nuclear fissile material provisions.

## NFC Course Relevance

- The EA 2023 represents the most significant update to the nuclear regulatory framework in a decade.
- **NIA 1965 amendments** are directly relevant: the increased compensation limits, CSC accession, and territorial sea extension all affect the legal framework for operating NFC facilities.
- **Fusion exclusion** is a policy-defining provision — it signals how the UK intends to regulate emerging nuclear technologies differently from conventional fission.
- **GBN** is the primary delivery body for the UK's nuclear new build ambitions, including the SMR programme, which will require the full front-end fuel cycle (conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication).
- The Act should be understood alongside the broader policy context: British Energy Security Strategy (2022), Powering Up Britain (2023), and Civil Nuclear Roadmap (2024).

## Cross-References

- [NIA_1965.md](NIA_1965.md) — Amended by EA 2023 (compensation, fusion, territorial sea)
- [EA_2013.md](EA_2013.md) — ONR regulates under the amended NIA framework
- [EA_2004.md](EA_2004.md) — NDA governance amended by EA 2023
- [NSA_2018.md](NSA_2018.md) — Post-Brexit regulatory context