Urenco has been awarded £9.56 million in funding from the UK Government that will support the production of advanced fuels for the nuclear reactors of tomorrow.
The company received the funding from The Nuclear Fuel Fund, as part of the British energy security strategy, which is supporting the nuclear fuel supply chain to develop new capabilities to meet current and future fuel demand in the UK and worldwide.
Advanced fuels are required for the next generation of reactors coming to market, such as small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced modular reactors (AMRs). Urenco has plans to develop new capabilities in enrichment and chemistry services supporting these fuels at its UK and USA sites, and work is ongoing.
The funding from the UK Government of £9.56 million will be used for the concept design of plants and processes supporting the further development of advanced fuels.
CEO of Urenco, Boris Schucht, said:
“Urenco is proud to be supporting the evolution of the nuclear fuel cycle to supply the next generation of reactor technology and this award marks a milestone in our journey. We have the knowledge, expertise and experience to play a leading role in this area, which will provide an enhanced service for our customers and make a positive contribution to net zero targets. The importance of government support for this new, incoming market cannot be underestimated, and I’m pleased our application was successful.”
In support of Urenco’s application, the company submitted detailed plans to the Nuclear Fuel Fund, the success of which underscores the importance of a domestic fuel supply in the UK.
Urenco is committed to supporting the Government’s ambition to increase civil nuclear generation to 24GW by 2050, which is approximately 25% of the UK’s electricity demands.
