The UK Government has announced a £196m investment for the first high-tech nuclear fuel facility in Europe.
The move is aimed at establishing an energy supply chain that doesn't rely on Russia, according to official statements. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak emphasised the importance of the UK building its own uranium enrichment plant to "prise Putin's blood-soaked hands off Europe's energy market".
This announcement comes as the Government revealed it was awarding £196 million to Urenco to construct a uranium enrichment facility at Capenhurst, Cheshire. This facility is expected to produce high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel by 2031 for either export or domestic use.
The Government stated that this initiative would support 400 highly skilled jobs, power future UK nuclear power stations and ensure other countries are not dependent on Russia for advanced nuclear fuel, a market which Russia currently dominates. Ministers have said this is part of efforts to enhance energy security and isolate Moscow from energy markets, following actions to halt imports of Russian oil and gas after the illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Sunak said: "Building our own uranium enrichment plant is essential if we want to prise Putin's blood-soaked hands off Europe's energy market. Russia has been the sole provider of this powerful nuclear fuel for too long and this marks the latest step in pushing him out of the energy market entirely."
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"The wider future of British nuclear remains a critical national endeavour guaranteeing nuclear and energy security, and reducing energy bills for Brits."
Claire Coutinho, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, stated: "Backing Urenco to build a uranium enrichment plant here in the UK will mean we are the first European nation outside Russia to produce advanced nuclear fuel. This will support hundreds of new jobs, bring investment for the people in Cheshire and is a huge win for energy security at home and abroad."
Officials highlighted the necessity of fuel for powering modular reactors acknowledged as instrumental in achieving ambitions to quadruple the UK's nuclear capacity by 2050, effectively ending Russia's current status as sole commercial producer of HALEU. The finance forms part of the £300 million HALEU scheme announced earlier in January. The Government part-owns Urenco, which wil co-fund the facility.
The plans dictate that, by 2031, the facility should have the capacity to produce up to ten tonnes of fuel yearly, equivalent in energy to more than one million tonnes of coal, according to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
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