Government Funding Will Support Investment for Advanced Nuclear Reactor Fuels
Lancashire, England, July 27, 2023 – Westinghouse Electric Company announced today that the U.K. Government’s Nuclear Fuel Fund has awarded three grants to upgrade and expand the Springfields Fuel Fabrication Facility to support the United Kingdom’s next-generation nuclear reactors.
The three awards totalling £10.5 million will future-proof the U.K. nuclear fuel industry by developing more variants of light water reactor fuels, including for the AP1000® reactor and the AP300™ small modular reactor. The funding also supports potential production of High Enriched Low Assay Uranium-based (HALEU) Advanced Nuclear Fuels for the U.K.’s new Generation III and IV fission reactors. Additionally, Westinghouse will partner with Terrestrial Energy and the National Nuclear Laboratory to pilot supply of enriched Uranium Tetrafluoride (UF4) and molten salt fuel for use in Terrestrial’s Integral Molten Salt Reactor.
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The Westinghouse Springfields Fuel Fabrication Facility in the U.K. has manufactured world-class nuclear fuel and related products and services for nearly 75 years.
“This investment from the Nuclear Fuel Fund is a vote of confidence in the capabilities of our Springfields manufacturing site,” said Tarik Choho, Westinghouse President of Nuclear Fuel. “We are excited for the future of nuclear energy in the U.K. and the role Westinghouse will continue to play in its success.”
“Nuclear power is at the heart of our plan to deliver cleaner, more secure home-grown energy to the U.K., boosting our energy security and will provide highly skilled jobs to grow our economy,” said Andrew Bowie, U.K. Minister for Nuclear. “Today’s £10.5 million Government funding to Westinghouse’s Springfields plant will support their development of new fuel technologies, essential to the development of the next generation of nuclear reactors, as well as supporting highly skilled jobs in Preston and across the North West.
“And thanks to the Nuclear Fuel Fund, Westinghouse and companies like it will be at the cutting edge of our nuclear revival,” Minister Bowie said.
The Westinghouse Springfields site has manufactured world-class nuclear fuel and related products and services for nearly 75 years. Nuclear fuel produced by Westinghouse at Springfields plays a vital role in supporting carbon-free secure power generation in the U.K. and around the world, helping to cut more than 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions in the U.K. alone.
