Nuclear Reactors

(asked on 7th October 2024) - View Source

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support the development of advanced modular reactors.


Answered by
Michael Shanks Portrait
Michael Shanks
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This question was answered on 15th October 2024

Advanced Modular Reactors have the potential to help tackle hard-to-abate emissions in energy intensive industries. The Government continues to fund research and innovation to develop High Temperature Gas Reactor technology and their advanced fuels through the £385 million Advanced Nuclear Fund during the current Spending Review period. The current programme is also providing funding to the UK’s nuclear regulators to ensure they can develop capabilities to regulate novel reactor types.

Some advanced reactor designs require High Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel, so securing a supply of HALEU is essential to unleash the benefits of new designs on our path to Net Zero. Our £300m HALEU programme expect to develop a full HALEU front-end fuel cycle capability in the UK by the early 2030s, helping to support and attract advanced reactor designs to the UK.

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