The United Kingdom is investing about 200 million pounds (232.5 million euros) to build Europe’s first highly enriched uranium (HALEU) production plant, a fuel the government says could power the next generation of projects. It will be required for. Nuclear Energy,
As part of efforts to meet climate targets and increase energy security, the UK wants to increase its nuclear power capacity to 24 gigawatts by 2050, equivalent to almost a quarter of projected electricity demand, compared to around 14% currently. The United Kingdom intends to build new advanced reactors that may require HALEU fuel.
Nuclear Minister Andrew Bowie said in an interview, “As more advanced modular reactors come along, HALEU will be the essential fuel, so having more of this technology in the UK will mean we will be able to power them from a domestic source.” and renewable energy.
The UK is giving uranium enrichment company Urenco £196 million to build facilities in Cheshire, northwest England, which will help create around 400 jobs. The unit should be ready to produce the fuel, use it in the country or export it by 2031, the Department of Energy Security said. carbon neutrality,
“There are clear opportunities to export this fuel to our allies who want to move away from heavy reliance on Russia for their nuclear fuel,” Bowie said.
Many companies developing advanced nuclear reactors around the world rely on HALEU to power them, but the main company currently selling commercial shipments of this fuel is Tenex, which is owned by the Russian state energy company Rosatom.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Western countries have sought to reduce their energy imports from Russia.
US company Centrus Energy has also begun producing small amounts of the fuel and is hoping to expand production, while French company Orano is considering building a plant in the United States.
Helu is enriched to levels up to 20%, rather than the roughly 5% uranium that powers most existing nuclear power plants.
The United Kingdom also announced this Wednesday a competition to award a contract worth 600 million pounds (697.5 million euros) to build the world’s first commercially viable fusion power plant prototype, which is expected to be able to connect to the electricity grid . 2040.
For years, scientists, governments and companies around the world, including the US and Japan, have been trying to develop fusion reactors, the nuclear reaction that powers the Sun, without emitting large amounts of long-lasting radioactive waste. Electricity can be produced without generating electricity. ,
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