The UK government is awarding £196 million ($245 million) to Urenco to build a new uranium enrichment facility at its Capenhurst site in northwest England. The plant will have the capacity to produce up to 10 tonnes per year of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) by 2031.
HALEU, with 5-20% uranium-235 enrichment, is required to fuel most advanced nuclear reactor designs under development for deployment in the 2030s. Currently, only Russia and China can produce HALEU commercially.
The new UK capability aims to end Russia's dominance in European HALEU supply and support around 400 jobs. It is part of the £300 million HALEU programme announced earlier this year.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the investment is essential for UK nuclear and energy security. Urenco CEO Boris Schucht welcomed the funding to accelerate a civil HALEU market and development of safer next-generation nuclear plants.
The US and France are also working to establish domestic HALEU enrichment capabilities through projects headed by Centrus Energy and Orano, respectively.
Image: Urenco's Capenhurst site (courtesy of Urenco)
