Advanced nuclear fuel facility lined up for Cheshire

A new uranium enrichment facility – which will support about 400 highly-skilled jobs and is backed by almost £200m of government investment – is to be built in Cheshire.The government is awarding £196m to Urenco to build a facility which will produce fuel by 2031 that would be ready to export or use domestically, and could power UK homes in the next decade.As well as the jobs, the facility will help to boost the local supply chain and grow the economy.Located at Capenhurst, the investment will help cement the status of the North West of England as a world leader in nuclear fuel production.The investment will make the UK the first European nation to produce high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) – a market currently dominated by Russia. It is part of the government’s plan to push Putin out of the global energy market and drive down energy bills.HALEU is needed to power most advanced modular reactors which are crucial to meeting the UK’s ambition to quadruple nuclear capacity by 2050 – the biggest expansion in 70 years.Like small modular reactors, they can be made in factories and transform how power stations are built by making construction faster and less expensive. These advanced reactors are more efficient and use novel fuels, coolants, and technologies to generate low-carbon electricity.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “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.”The wider future of British nuclear remains a critical national endeavour – guaranteeing nuclear and energy security, and reducing energy bills for Brits.”Energy security secretary Claire Coutinho, added: “We stood up to Putin on oil and gas, and we won’t let him hold us to ransom on nuclear fuel.”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.Urenco’s facility will have the capacity to produce up to 10 tonnes of HALEU per year by 2031. When fabricated into fuel, ten tonnes of HALEU could contain as much energy as over one million tons of coal.The funding is part of the £300m HALEU programme announced in January this year. Urenco, which is part owned by the UK government and renowned for nuclear enrichment services, will co-fund the facility.Boris Schucht, chief executive of Urenco, said: “The responsibility the nuclear industry has to help governments and customers to achieve climate change and energy security goals is clear.”We welcome this government investment, which will help accelerate the development of a civil HALEU commercial market and in turn the development of the next generation of nuclear power plants. These plants will have even higher safety standards and lend themselves to quicker licensing and construction processes.””Urenco has the knowledge and experience to play a leading role in the production of HALEU and other advanced fuels, operating securely under inter-governmental treaties to ensure the peaceful use and safeguarding of nuclear technology.”Paul Methven, chief executive at UK Industrial Fusion Solutions, responsible for the delivery of the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP), said: “We are looking towards a very significant milestone for STEP in the next two weeks as we are set to launch our search for industrial partners in engineering and construction who will join us in designing and delivering the STEP prototype plant at West Burton.”This will demonstrate that fusion energy can work, and through that endeavour, we will develop an industry that can deliver commercial fusion for decades beyond.”Zara Hodgson, director of the Dalton Institute, said: “This is the biggest single investment in UK nuclear fuel production capability in decades, and it is especially welcome as it will accelerate the supply of the next generation of fuels that are vital for this new net zero nuclear era.”Urenco Capenhurst’s HALEU Enrichment capability will help hugely to unlock the deliverability of advanced nuclear projects, opening the door to sustainable electricity and heat for industries from nuclear, across the UK and overseas.”Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association said: “This investment will enable the UK to fuel advanced reactors around the world, building on our existing capabilities to strengthen energy security for our allies while reducing their reliance on Russia.”Urenco at Capenhurst is at the very forefront of the UK’s capability, with this new facility bringing opportunities for the supply chain, new jobs and investment in the North West of England.”The UK is also leading the way in fusion energy development, as engineering and construction companies will be invited on to bid for up to £600m to build the first commercially viable fusion prototype power plant at a former coal plant in Nottinghamshire.A consultation has been launched which proposes designating all fusion plants nationally significant infrastructure projects that will be assessed by the Planning Inspectorate and ultimately decided on by the secretary of state for energy.