Management of Italian Nuclear Materials in the UK

Michael Shanks Excerpts

Wednesday 26th February 2025 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Michael Shanks)]

My hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath) made the following statement today:

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has agreed to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority:

Taking ownership of approximately 1.58 tonnes of separated civil plutonium which was previously owned by an Italian counterpart;

Taking ownership of approximately 700 tonnes of reprocessed uranium which was previously owned by an Italian counterpart.

These transactions, which have been agreed by the Euratom Supply Agency, will not result in any new plutonium or reprocessed uranium being brought into the UK, and will not therefore increase the overall amount of plutonium or reprocessed uranium in the UK.

The Department has agreed to these transactions on the grounds that they offer a cost-effective and beneficial arrangement, facilitating the conclusion of historical European nuclear material contracts. The revenue from the transactions is sufficient to cover the cost of the management of the plutonium and reprocessed uranium involved.

The UK has committed to publish annual figures for national holdings of civil plutonium and uranium at the end of each calendar year to improve transparency and public confidence. The most recently published data can be found at the following link: https://www.onr.org.uk/publications/regulatory-reports/safeguards/annual-civil-plutonium-figures/2023-annual-figures-for-holdings-of-civil-unirradiated-plutonium/ This data will be updated in due course to reflect the changes in ownership described above.

In January 2025, the Department also announced the decision to immobilise the UK-owned civil separated plutonium inventory at Sellafield.

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