The nuclear industry has two months to nominate sites for the first wave of new nuclear power stations in the UK, the Government has announced.

The call for nominations came alongside publication of the criteria against which potential sites will be assessed.

The criteria include conditions that new sites should not be near major population centres or certain types of military activity. The industry has indicated that the most suitable sites for new build are in the vicinity of existing nuclear power stations.

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Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband told the Nuclear Development Forum: "We've taken some big steps towards next generation nuclear in the year since the publication of our White Paper, the industry continues to gear up to invest and we are on course to see new nuclear feeding into the grid by 2018. EdF has firm plans for new reactors on British Energy land, and other companies have started to form joint ventures.

"We'll be judging each site that gets nominated against the criteria we have set out today and there will be plenty of opportunities for local authorities and the public to have their say on the options tabled.

"Nuclear power can improve energy security and help the drive towards low carbon energy supplies. Alongside renewables and cleaner fossil fuels, it will help us meet our climate change goals as well as ensuring the future supply of energy for the UK."

(CD/JM)