Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Written Statement of 24 January 2025 on the Plutonium Disposition Strategy, what consideration was given in the decision to rapid developments in metallic fast-reactor fuel and uranium-transuranic fuel technologies that could utilise UK plutonium.

The Department and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) considered both immobilisation and re-use options. There are no existing or planned fast reactor projects in the UK that could utilise the plutonium. All current and planned UK reactors use uranium fuel.

Immobilisation can be delivered sooner and with greater certainty than re-use in fast reactors, due in part to removing reliance on delivery of a new reactor programme.

Indefinite storage of plutonium is not an acceptable solution due to the high cost of management and the enduring safety and security burden.