70th IAEA General Conference: UK national statement
Minister Michael Shanks delivered the UK's National Statement at the International Atomic Energy Agency's 2026 General Conference.
Mr President,
Warmest congratulations on your appointment. The United Kingdom looks forward to working closely with you and wishes you every success.
Thank you also to the Director General and Secretariat for supporting the Agency’s continued success.
I’d also like to welcome Timor Leste to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Ever-stronger voices on nuclear non-proliferation will always be welcome.
Events on the global stage remind us daily that nuclear power is essential to climate action, energy sovereignty and economic growth - with the IAEA playing a vital role in enabling its safe, secure and peaceful use.
And now, almost seventy years after the IAEA’s founding, we stand at the threshold of a nuclear golden age which we must realise together.
If this global nuclear age is to fulfil its promise, deployment, confidence and cooperation must advance together.
Which is why my first point is that the nuclear reactors of the future should be built for replication, not exclusivity.
The nuclear golden age must reach more countries and command broad confidence. Innovation must not become the preserve of a few countries.
For too long, nuclear development has meant bespoke projects, long timetables and barriers only the largest economies can overcome.
The next generation must use standard designs, flexible construction and repeatable delivery methods for durable global capability.
Through the essential work of the Agency, we must work together to build the skills, infrastructure, regulation and financing that all countries need to pursue nuclear.
The United Kingdom is putting that principle into practice, investing almost £17 billion to 2030 in its most ambitious nuclear new-build programme for a generation.
Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C demonstrate the value of replication: each will power six million homes for at least 60 years, with Sizewell C benefiting from Hinkley’s experience.
Furthermore, the UK has allocated £2.6 billion to our small modular reactor programme, using design replication and factory fabrication to transform delivery and turn repeatability into an industrial proposition.
Nearly £900 million in SMR supply-chain contracts will grow UK capability and support international markets.
And, our Advanced Nuclear Framework and Pipeline help private projects demonstrate readiness, creating a transparent pathway from promising technology to investment-ready projects.
With international collaboration and comparable expectations, we can strengthen nuclear ambitions by expanding trusted markets for technologies, supply chains and investment.
The UK HALEU Programme gives this point practical weight. A first-of-a-kind enrichment facility in the UK will enable developers of Gen IV reactors to invest with confidence and establish a secure fuel supply for the domestic market and for overseas.
Beyond power, nuclear science supports cancer care, food security and water management. Through full annual contributions to the IAEA Technical Cooperation Programme and our ASCENT partnership with the United States, the UK is widening global access to peaceful nuclear science.
My second point is that it’s essential for international regulation to keep pace with the speed of nuclear innovation.
We have seen how incredible new breakthroughs in smaller, transportable reactors, new fuel cycles, AI, maritime applications and fusion offer global opportunities.
But assurance must remain rigorous, proportionate and forward-looking without lowering standards or applying inherited models uncritically.
Therefore, the United Kingdom is modernising regulation to improve effectiveness and proportionality while ensuring high standards of safety, security and safeguards.
On fusion, our innovation-enabling framework and Early Engagement process bring industry and regulators together sooner. This cooperation, including the UK-US Global Fusion Policy Summit, supports an IAEA equipped for a global fusion industry.
But national action cannot substitute international readiness. The Agency needs expertise, tools and resources before designs are fixed and deployment accelerates.
Safety, security and safeguards by design should be normal practice. Early dialogue among developers, regulators and governments with the IAEA strengthens assurance and public confidence.
And this demands sustained investment.
For 45 years, the UK Member State Support Programme has provided expertise and extra-budgetary safeguards support. So, we will continue helping the IAEA address novel technologies, including land-based and maritime SMRs.
But confidence also requires universal implementation of existing rules.
States should bring into force Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements and Additional Protocols and implement the Amended Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material so that we can all advance in this nuclear golden age together.
We also encourage all Member States to engage openly with IAEA review services, a practical tool for learning, safety and trust.
And finally, unlocking nuclear energy’s full potential requires everyone to follow the rules.
But Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine directly impacts Ukraine’s nuclear safety and security; Iran is failing to cooperate with the IAEA and fulfil its safeguards obligations; and DPRK continues advancing its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
The United Kingdom calls on Russia, Iran and the DPRK to meet their international obligations. Their actions demonstrate why the international non-proliferation regime, and the Agency remain indispensable.
For seven decades, the IAEA has enabled countries to benefit from the peaceful uses of nuclear technology while providing assurance that nuclear material is not diverted to military purposes.
As technologies and threats evolve, the Agency must also become more capable and responsive, using AI to support its mission effectively.
In short, technology alone will not secure a new nuclear age. Nuclear progress must scale to meet global need and be effectively regulated to earn global trust.
And innovation should never become the advantage of a few countries, but a source of growth, prosperity and opportunity for many. The United Kingdom stands ready to work with the Agency and all Member States to realise and deliver this ambition.