Capenhurst Facility: High-assay Low-enriched Uranium

Lord Moynihan Excerpts

Wednesday 11th November 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Curran (Lab)]

I have had a discussion previously with the noble Lord about americium, and I appreciate the briefing that he has given me. The Government have supported the UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory to extract americium from the UK’s civil separated plutonium inventory at Sellafield for the European Space Agency’s ENDURE programme. We recognise the potential importance of americium for other advanced technologies, including space power systems. We are currently working with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to explore opportunities for collaboration with industry. I should say to the noble Lord that no decisions have been made at this stage, but discussions are ongoing, and I have a funny feeling that he will ask for those further discussions to include him, which I am happy to do.

[Lord Moynihan (Con)]

My Lords, I declare my interest as chair of Amey, Acteon and Buckthorn Partners. Urenco at Capenhurst is a successful project, as the Minister said, funded by the UK and Dutch Governments and two private German firms, and it aims to become the West’s first commercial HALEU plant. Will the Government now take steps to encourage the development of a domestic fuel supply chain, including decompression and fuel fabrication, to capture the significant value of this emerging market? Does this success story not prove that we do not need to acquiesce to EU rules and call on taxpayers to fund expensive EU electricity projects to have a productive working relationship with the continent in the pursuit of low-cost energy?

[Baroness Curran (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for that question—he never fails to surprise me with some of the questions that he asks. I can commit to the domestic supply chain. It is important because, as I have said before from the Dispatch Box, we want to get a double hit out of our investment: not only is it about creating that supply chain, it is about the benefits that come with the supply chain and the skills and the jobs that that will mean for Britain. I guarantee to the noble Lord that that is a vital part of this programme. It is a success story for Britain that we should be proud of and that we should focus on. On his wider point about Europe, I am always willing to work with European partners and support the electricity market of Great Britain, and will continue to do so.