Fuelling a golden age of nuclear

The UK has committed to delivering a ‘golden age’ for nuclear, with significant investment in new projects and technologies to help quadruple nuclear capacity by 2050. 

It’s an ambitious plan that would place the UK at the forefront of a global nuclear renaissance, creating a resilient net zero energy system and enabling opportunities and jobs across the country. Yet to truly strengthen energy security and deliver a comprehensive nuclear value chain, the UK must also invest in upgrading and expanding its nuclear fuel infrastructure, from manufacturing facilities to the transportation and spent fuel reprocessing capacity.

To plan and deliver this ambitious pipeline of projects efficiently, the sector can capitalise on significant advances in how complex infrastructure is delivered and embrace collaboration at a global scale as it upskills and expands capacity to deliver future-fit infrastructure to fuel this resurgence of nuclear.

An evolving sector

The nuclear fuel market has historically been highly interconnected across international boundaries, with utilities often relying on suppliers and capabilities spread across multiple countries. However, global geopolitical events in the last few years have resulted in some countries and utilities looking to diversify from their existing suppliers, leading to investments in new capabilities, the re-starting of existing facilities, the opening of new mines, and an influx of government funding. 

At the same time, technological developments in nuclear fuel are affecting what facilities and capabilities are required to develop for the next generation of advanced fuels such as HALEU. The challenge of designing, building, and operating facilities that can safely handle higher enrichments is significant, requiring investment in R&D to develop the processes and technologies that underpin the fuels at commercial scale, as well as new regulatory and licensing requirements to ensure the safe operation of these sites. 

Despite a shift in the international fuel market – and the competition this creates for funding and skills - collaboration and communication across international stakeholders remain vital to ensure a robust nuclear fuel supply chain that can keep pace with growing demand. Sharing technology, skills, and learning will be important to accelerate the development of new, viable processes and facilities, and can be facilitated by well-established global organisations with expert knowledge throughout the fuel cycle.

A future pipeline 

The UK has a robust foundation to build upon, particularly in the North West of England, where sites have been integral to the global nuclear fuel supply chain for over seventy years. Whilst this heritage means a focus on renewal and upgrading existing infrastructure rather than creating it anew, very few large-scale facilities haves been built in a generation: investing in future skills will be crucial to overcome an evident skills gap and ensure capability to deliver.  Upskilling and injecting enthusiasm into the next generation, particularly in regions like the North West with an existing skills base, will be vital for future development.

Early engagement with the supply chain is also essential: the nuclear fuel sector must create viable and comprehensive plans swiftly to compete for talent and investment against a backdrop of vast infrastructure development programmes over the next few decades, including civil and defence nuclear and industrial facilities.

There is opportunity as well as competition for skills and knowledge with other sectors, and the industry should look to share knowledge and learn from other industries that develop manufacturing facilities, too: for example, the potential learnings in precision engineering from these industries could be applied to latter parts of the fuel cycle to design and build quicker and more efficiently. 

Better Delivery 

The pace of technological change is rapid, and new approaches and techniques developed in complex infrastructure delivery can introduce cost and programme efficiencies if applied appropriately, helping to ensure value for money as well as creating attractive prospects for private finance which will be vital to bring forward the full scale of development required. 

The UK Construction Leadership Council (CLC) forecasts that design re-use, automation, and data-driven collaboration could reduce overall project costs by at least 10% and increase on-site productivity by over 25% for large infrastructure programmes. This extends from design into delivery: for example, data-sharing and greater information management during development phases can integrate schedules and make it easier to streamline complex construction works.

Investing in the creation of nuclear fuel infrastructure is essential to support the UK government's ambitions for a golden age of nuclear energy. By building on a strong foundation, embracing opportunities for innovation, addressing geopolitical impacts, investing in advanced fuels, and leveraging precision engineering and technological advancements, the UK can position itself at the forefront of the global nuclear renaissance. This comprehensive approach will ensure a robust and efficient nuclear fuel supply chain, ultimately bolstering energy security and supporting the nation's decarbonisation goals.