UK forms nuclear fuel alliance with US, Canada, Japan and France to cut Russia’s grip on supply chains

The UK, US, Canada, Japan and France have formed a nuclear fuel alliance to undermine Russia’s grip on supply chains.

The five countries will use their civil nuclear power sectors to cut off another way President Vladimir Putin funds his invasion of Ukraine.

The announcement, made at G7 talks in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo, is aimed at pushing Russia out of the international nuclear energy market, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said.

The agreement will strengthen the UK’s nuclear energy sector, helping it on the path to energy independency and reducing electricity bills, the Energy Department added.

The fuel is used to operate nuclear power stations which provide around 15% of the UK’s electricity supply. The government aims for nuclear energy to provide 25% of the electricity supply by 2050.

‘Russia isn’t welcome anymore’

Ministers from the Group of Seven rich nations were finishing two days of meetings on climate, energy and environmental policy on Sunday (16 April).

They set new collective targets for the use of offshore wind and solar energy and agreed to accelerate the phase-out of fossil fuels, particularly coal.

The Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps wants these countries to come together to address dependencies on Russian fuel as the world turns increasingly to nuclear as a source of low-carbon and secure energy.

Shapps said: “The UK has been at the very heart of global efforts to support Ukraine, defeat Putin and ensure neither him nor anyone like him can ever think they can hold the world to ransom over their energy again.

“This is the next vital step, uniting with other countries to show Putin that Russia isn’t welcome anymore, and in shoring up our global energy security by using a reliable international supply of nuclear fuel from safe, secure sources.”

He added: “But this is one side of the equation – the other is the need to invest in clean, cheap and secure energy sources, and our Powering Up Britain plan will do just that.

“We must stop being reliant on expensive and imported fossil fuels and focus on smarter energy solutions. The UK is already a world-leader when it comes to renewables, a fact recognised by the investors I have met in the Republic of Korea and Japan this week.”