Ministers sign plans to put UK at “forefront” of European nuclear

UK ministers hosted a meeting with 11 other EU nations where they signed up to plans to collaborate on nuclear power yesterday. The Government said this means the country will […]

UK ministers hosted a meeting with 11 other EU nations where they signed up to plans to collaborate on nuclear power yesterday.

The Government said this means the country will stay at the “forefront” of Europe’s nuclear expansion. A key part of the agreement is access to a French nuclear reactor used for research – the Jules Horowitz Reactor – for British scientists, bought with a pledge from the UK to put £12.5million into the research programme.

Energy Minister John Hayes said: “It’s vital that we cooperate on issues like safety and R&D. We are putting our money where our mouth is by confirming our contribution of £12.5m to the Jules Horowitz research reactor in France and guaranteeing the UK access rights to the project.”

The 12 states including Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spain, agreed that each would continue to be free to choose their own energy mixes, including nuclear, renewables and carbon capture and storage (CCS).

The Czech Republic will host the next informal ministerial meeting on the agreement next year.

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