Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Deferred
Paragraph: 106
Maximise export potential and support critical domestic nuclear fuel cycle assets.
Recommendation
Aside from the need to import uranium, the UK has the capability to undertake critical parts of the nuclear fuel cycle, such as uranium conversion, enrichment and fuel fabrication. The export potential of these strategic assets should be maximised, especially now that countries are looking to reduce their dependence on Russia for these services. The Government should ensure that critical domestic assets in the nuclear supply chain are supported, while the UK’s current ageing fleet retires.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response details its commitment to designing a hydrogen storage business model by 2025, progress on consultations, and legislative frameworks, along with existing funding programs for hydrogen projects. This completely deflects from the recommendation to support and maximise the export potential of the nuclear fuel cycle.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
106
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
44. Maintaining a strong domestic nuclear fuel sector is critical to support a number of the Government’s strategic national security objectives, including UK energy independence. The Government recognises that significant investment will be required to support the sector to develop and produce fuel for new reactor designs, across GW reactors, SMRs and AMRs. 45. Through the Nuclear Fuel Fund, the Government is directly investing to support domestic fuel supply chain in this transition to both protect UK’s energy security and support its partners to diversify away from Russian supply. This supports the Government’s commitment, made in the G7 Leader’s Communique (July 2022) and recently reaffirmed as part of the Sapporo Agreement (April 2023), to reduce global dependence on Russian nuclear fuel. Decarbonisation of the power sector: Government Response 9 46. The Nuclear Fuel Fund will provide match funding to promising projects aimed at developing new fuel production capabilities to supply the reactors of today and advanced reactors of the future. Applications for the competitive fund of up to £50m have now closed. Shortlisted projects are undergoing due diligence and assurance ahead of expected grant award in July 2023, subject to final approvals. 47. As part of the Nuclear Fuel Fund, the Government has also directly awarded £13m to Westinghouse, Springfields Fuels Ltd. to support the establishment of a capability to convert both freshly mined and recycled uranium at the Springfields nuclear site. This will help to restore and develop the UK’s historic conversion capability, protecting UK’s energy security and providing its partners with an alternative to Russian supply. 48. Alongside this, as part of the Atlantic Declaration, the Government has entered a strategic civil nuclear partnership with the US. Through this partnership, the US and UK will take joint action to establish new infrastructure and end-to-end fuel cycle capabilities by 2030 in both continents, substantially minimising reliance on Russian fuel, supplies, and services.
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