The consultation on the Strategic Siting Assessment outlines the process the Government will use for identifying suitable sites for new nuclear power stations. The Government is proposing to invite third parties to nominate sites which it will then assess against a range of criteria.

The consultation also sets out the various criteria that would be applied in making that assessment - including those that would automatically rule out sites. The sites identified through this process will still need to be considered through the planning process. Government is also publishing an environmental study alongside the consultation.

The latest development forms part of the measures that the Government is putting into place to open up opportunities for nuclear power investment in the UK.

Business Secretary John Hutton said:  "Nuclear power is an essential part of our future energy mix. And, alongside a ten fold increase in renewables and investment in clean coal technology, it will help wean us off our dependency on oil and protect us against the politicisation of energy supplies.

"So, we must do everything we can to remove any remaining barriers and open up the UK as the most attractive place in the world to invest in nuclear power."

The consultation outlines a number of 'exclusionary' and 'discretionary' criteria:

* Exclusionary criteria relate to the fundamental suitability of a site and will be used to 'screen out' unacceptable locations. This includes seismic risk, capable faulting and proximity to heavily populated areas.

* 'Discretionary' criteria are those that could make a site unsuitable, subject to further consideration. These include less absolute issues and will be used to form a balanced view of the site's suitability, such as flooding, coastal conditions and areas that are environmentally protected.

The Department expects to have finalised the criteria by early 2009, and will at that time open the invitation for the nomination of sites that could be suitable for new nuclear generation by 2025.