THE government is “walking a risky path” as it overhauls regulation to accelerate a new wave of nuclear power, environmental campaigners have warned.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband announced today the government’s intention to implement the recommendations of a Nuclear Regulatory Taskforce review led by former Office of Fair Trading chief executive John Fingleton.

The review concluded that the process around commissioning new nuclear plants was “overly complex” and “bureaucratic” and held back growth in the industry by favouring process over safe outcomes.

Mr Miliband said the reforms, expected to be in place by the end of next year, would be a “win-win for building critical infrastructure while protecting nature and the environment.”

He argued the spike in oil and gas prices driven by the US and Israeli attacks on Iran and the Middle East showed Britain needed “to go further and faster to build the clean energy we need to get off volatile fossil fuel markets and deliver energy security for our country.”

“A crucial part of this is ensuring that we speed up the building of infrastructure in a way that reduces costs as well as delivering better outcomes for nature,” he added.

Welcoming the move, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “Speeding up the delivery of new nuclear projects is welcome and will deliver good quality union jobs to every corner of the country. 

“We can all see clearly why Britain needs energy independence from volatile fuels that rely on Trump or Putin. That has to include homegrown nuclear power.”

But Wildlife and Countryside Link’s Richard Benwell said: “The government is walking a risky path by reinterpreting rules that have protected wildlife for decades.”

The Wildlife Trust’s Joan Edwards said the changes could “damage precious woodlands, meadows and estuaries,” warning: “Ministers must stop this dangerous tinkering with vital environmental protections and follow the evidence which shows that we cannot help nature recover without maintaining protections for the ever-diminishing amount of natural wild places we have left.”

EDF chair Sir Alex Chisholm argued: “There is no need to choose between protecting nature and the delivery of essential national infrastructure,” but environmental groups appeared unconvinced.