BRITAIN TO BUILD EUROPE'S FIRST NUCLEAR FUEL FACTORY
Britain is to build Europe's first facility for producing advanced nuclear fuel, in a bid to bolster energy security and squeeze Russia out of the lucrative export market.
Unveiling £200million in support for the new plant in Cheshire, Rishi Sunak said the move would 'prise Vladimir Putin's blood-soaked hands off Europe's energy market'.
Russia is currently the only commercial producer of advanced nuclear fuels required to run the next generation of modular nuclear reactors.
Under the new proposal, nuclear specialist Urenco will build a uranium enrichment plant at Capenhurst, near Ellesmere Port, capable of producing 10 tonnes a year of the fuel by the early 2030s.
Government sources said the energy produced would be equivalent to burning one million tonnes of coal per year.
The Government said it would support 400 skilled jobs, power the UK's future nuclear power plants and ensure other countries are not reliant on Russia for advanced nuclear fuel.
Ministers said it was part of efforts to improve energy security and isolate Moscow from energy markets, after moves to stop imports of Russian oil and gas following the illegal invasion of Ukraine.
The Prime Minister 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.'
He added: 'The wider future of British nuclear remains a critical national endeavour – guaranteeing nuclear and energy security, and reducing energy bills for Brits.'
Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho said the plant would provide the fuel for the new generation of advanced modular reactors needed to hit the target to quadruple the UK's nuclear capacity by 2050.
Ministers will also publish proposals today to streamline the planning process for the development of nuclear fusion technology, with firms invited to bid for up to £600million in funding to build the UK's first commercially viable plant.
Read more 2024-05-07T23:52:38Z dg43tfdfdgfd