UK Energy: Grid Decarbonisation

Viscount Hanworth Excerpts

Monday 24th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Lab)]

I am grateful to the noble Lord for raising this question again. He will know that the Government have committed to prevent the import from Russia of nuclear fuels by 2030. We are discussing whether we could bring this forward. I am afraid I cannot give him any more information at the moment, but as soon as a decision is made, I will let him know.

[Viscount Hanworth (Lab)]

My Lords, since the announcement by President Macron in the autumn of 2021 of the France 2030 agenda, France has been committed to closing the nuclear fuel cycle. This means that it intends to use its uranium more efficiently and to deploy nuclear waste in its reactors. It is motivated by the supposition that, by 2050, the stocks of uranium will be pre-empted by the Chinese and the Americans. What is the Minister’s reaction to this supposition? Is the UK likely to follow the lead of France?

[Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Lab)]

My Lords, the noble Lord will know that through Urenco, at Capenhurst, we are investing a considerable amount of money into the HALEU programme to enable us to have the whole fuel cycle undertaken in the United Kingdom. This is good for energy security and good for exports. I understand the point that the noble Viscount makes about uranium. We are confident in the future supply, but I acknowledge his underlying point of the importance of nuclear energy as an essential baseload.