Communities and Reactor Danger Money
Posted: 21st July 2025
The Nuclear Free Local Authorities have called on government ministers to make the operators of nuclear plants pay their neighbouring communities ‘danger money’ to properly compensate them for living with the risk. The Department of Energy Security and Net Zero has just concluded a consultation on plans to introduce a mandatory scheme obliging energy generators to pay community benefits. The amount of money payable annually would be based on one of two models, the potential generating capacity of the plant or the actual amount of electricity generated. Ministers would make the scheme applicable to nuclear plants, as well as larger renewable energy projects, but the NFLAs want them to factor in a premium on payments made by nuclear operators to reflect the potential for accidents, the environmental contamination caused during their operations, and their legacy of deadly radioactive waste. We also want nuclear plants to make payments through their lifecycle, including during the period of decommissioning and waste management after closure.