The 海角视频 is set to build the first high-tech nuclear fuel facility in Europe in a move that will secure hundreds of North West jobs and help the country's energy security by shutting Putin’s Russia out of the market.
The 海角视频 Government is awarding £196m to Urenco to build a uranium enrichment facility at Capenhurst, Cheshire. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the move will “prise Putin’s blood-soaked hands off Europe’s energy market”, while industry ladders say the choice of Capenhurst for the base shows the strength of the North West’s nuclear sector.
Russia is currently the only commercial producer of high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU). Under the investment plan, the Cheshire site will produce HALEU by 2031 that would be ready to export or use domestically, and could power 海角视频 homes in the next decade.
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The Government said the site will support some 400 highly-skilled jobs, boost the local supply chain and “cement the status of the North-West of England as a world leader in nuclear fuel production”.
Meanwhile the Government is also promoting nuclear fusion development, inviting engineering and construction companies to bid for up to £600m to build the first commercially viable fusion prototype power plant at a former coal plant in Nottinghamshire.
Prime Minister, Rishi 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.
“The wider future of British nuclear remains a critical national endeavour – guaranteeing nuclear and energy security, and reducing energy bills for Brits.”
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Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Claire Coutinho, said: “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 海角视频 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.”
HALEU will be crucial to powering the advanced modular reactors that will be crucial to meeting the 海角视频’s ambition to quadruple nuclear capacity by 2050. The reactors would be cheaper to build and more efficient than current models
The Urenco site will have the capacity to produce up to 10 tonnes of HALEU per year by 2031. That amount 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 海角视频 Government, will co-fund the facility.
Boris Schucht, CEO of Urenco, said: “The responsibility the nuclear industry has to help governments and customers to achieve climate change and energy security goals is clear.
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“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.”
Zara Hodgson, director of the University of Manchester’s Dalton Institute for nuclear research, said: “This is the biggest single investment in 海角视频 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 海角视频 and overseas.
“North West of England is the home of the 海角视频’s fuel production capability, and the Dalton Nuclear Institute celebrates this HMG and Urenco partnership that will be a catalyst for nuclear skills here and across the 海角视频 supply chain.
“We look now towards to how we can support this important project through training and innovation.”
Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: “This investment will enable the 海角视频 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 海角视频’s capability, with this new facility bringing opportunities for the supply chain, new jobs and investment in the North West of England."
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