Britain to revive nuclear fuel production for defence

3 comments

1. The article stems from a statement made [to the Commons](https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-11-06/hcws193):

   > The UK is exploring options to re-establish a nuclear fuel cycle for reactor fuel for defence purposes. The Government is committed to modernising defence nuclear fuel production under the Defence Nuclear Enterprise. We are commencing engagement with industry to develop options for how this requirement can be delivered.
   >
   > The UK takes its nuclear responsibilities and obligations seriously. This fuel production cycle will be fully consistent with the UK’s international obligations, including the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). It will also be fully consistent with the UK’s voluntary moratorium, established in 1995, on the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.
   >
   > The UK will continue to maintain the highest standards of safeguarding of civil nuclear materials, ensuring a separation from defence materials and complying with our obligations under the UK’s Voluntary Offer Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

   As I understand things at the moment we enrich Uranium to some extent, and then ship it to the US and pay for them to enrich it all the way up to the levels needed for our reactors. I’m somewhat unclear why that might be…perhaps because we’d rather our limited capacity go towards enriching fuel for commercial reactors or something? We have only a single Uranium enrichment facility at [Capenhurst](https://www.urenco.com/global-operations/urenco-uk), but as far as I know haven’t produced HEU since the 60s…we do have quite large stockpiles of HEU though – something like 20 tons – so developing the capability to make more wasn’t on my bingo card. It might reflect the need to consume some HEU for the new SSN-AUKUS class submarines for both ourselves and Australia (who are building the boats themselves, but getting the reactors from us)

   Slightly amused by:

   > It will also be fully consistent with the UK’s voluntary moratorium, established in 1995, on the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.

   Considering we have literal tons of the stuff stockpiled, more than enough to make a thousand new warheads, this seems like something of a performative commitment.

2. The only way that military nuclear can be done remotely cost effectively is via piggybacking off civilian operations.

   This likely means we will be building more reactors.

3. Would be nice to have some of this movement towards energy production too.

   Nuclear is actually quite safe. We can find a solution to dispose of nuclear waste if we put the best minds to it.

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