The Sapporo Five group of nations have used the COP28 summit to outline their plans to fill the vacuum left by ongoing efforts to displace Russia from the nuclear energy supply chain. Britain, France, Canada, the United States and Japan announced a commitment to work collectively to unlock billions of dollars of investment to expand nuclear fuel enrichment and conversion over the coming years, fleshing out the initial agreement at the Sapporo G7 meeting earlier this year.
Welcoming the news, the Fylde MP said “I met with senior figures at Westinghouse earlier this week and they are incredibly positive about what this means for Springfields. It is clear that we are a world away from the position facing the site just a few short years ago. I am delighted that where once the risk was existential the future is now bright and opportunities plentiful.”
“I have long warned of the danger of relying on unpredictable countries for such a vital part of our supply chain. Prioritising friendly partners is vital to avoid the kind of price energy price shocks seen in recent years.
This is the latest shot in the arm for Springfields, which has benefitted from over £20 million of Government money via the Nuclear Fuel Fund, as well as investment from Westinghouse following its acquisition by Canadian firm Brookfield. Westinghouse were also shortlisted as part of the Government’s Small Modular Reactor design competition, which is being headed by the recently launched Great British Nuclear.
Beyond geopolitics, roughly a third of the UK’s low carbon electricity is generated via fuel manufactured at Springfields. Citing this, Mr Menzies commented “global events, as well as drive for net-zero have provided a once in a generation opportunity for Springfields. The Government realises this and is acting.
There are many ex-Springfields employees who remember a time when there were thousands of employees onsite. We have almost 1000 there now, including over 800 employed by Westinghouse alone. These are highly skilled, well-paying positions and I want to see that number rise.”