UK invests £300 million in next-generation nuclear fuel programme to help reduce reliance on Russia

Britain intends to become the first European country to produce an advanced uranium fuel that is currently commercially available only from Russia, the government announced on Sunday.

The UK government said it would invest £300 million (HK$3 billion) building a high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) programme that would help “displace” Moscow from global energy markets.

“We stood up to (Vladimir) Putin on oil and gas and financial markets. We won’t let him hold us to ransom on nuclear fuel,” energy secretary Claire Coutinho said in a statement.

“This will be critical for energy security at home and abroad and builds on Britain’s historic competitive advantages,” she added.

HALEU fuel is needed to power many of the next generation of advanced nuclear reactors, including so-called small modular versions that the UK intends to use.

The fuel has a uranium-235 content of between 5 and 20 per cent, above the 5 per cent level that powers most nuclear plants currently in operation.

HALEU production has recently begun in the United States, but only a Russian facility manufactures the uranium on a commercial scale, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.