Nuclear Submarines: Fuels

(asked on 21st April 2022) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when remaining nuclear submarines that require defueling will undergo that process; and how much funding his Department has allocated to that process.


Answered by
Jeremy Quin Portrait
Jeremy Quin
This question was answered on 26th April 2022

There are currently 21 decommissioned submarines in afloat storage; seven at Rosyth Dockyard and 14 at Devonport Dockyard. The seven submarines at Rosyth Dockyard have already been defueled and of the 14 decommissioned submarines in Devonport, four have been defueled and 10 remain fuelled and await completion of the new defueling facilities at Devonport.

As set out in the United Kingdom's future nuclear deterrent: the 2021 update to Parliament, we continue to develop the submarine dismantling techniques necessary to meet all safety and sustainability standards and establish the long-term solution that provides best value for the taxpayer. Our commitment to the safe, secure, environmentally sound and cost-effective defueling and dismantling of all our decommissioned nuclear submarines as soon as practicably possible remains undiminished.

Construction of the new facilities to defuel decommissioned submarines is continuing at Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport. It is not MOD policy to pre-announce the funding of its projects for reasons of protecting commercial interests.

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