Millions of UK homes still powered by Russian imports after Ukraine invasion

Millions of UK homes are still being supplied with electricity from a nuclear power station fuelled by Russian imports.

The Mirror can reveal that Sizewell B in Suffolk continues to use imported uranium from Russia - three years after President Vladimir Putin’s deadly invasion of Ukraine. It comes despite French owner EDF previously indicating it would switch to an alternative source. The company has admitted it could take another three years to end its use of Russian uranium.

The discovery comes as the UK government has thrown its weight behind nuclear to help power the UK in the future, partly in an effort to reduce the country’s reliance on imports in the wake of Russia’s war, which has led to household energy bills soaring. Last week saw the go-ahead given for Sizewell C, a new £38billion nuclear plant that will sit alongside the existing station on the Suffolk coast.

Lib Dem defence spokesperson Helen Maguire, said: “It is incredibly concerning that EDF is still using Russian uranium, despite indicating that they were going to look for an alternative source. Three years on from Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this is simply unacceptable.

“The Government should do everything in its power to ensure that no UK company is using uranium, liquefied natural gas or any other resources from Russia - and they should also urgently look to address the use of Russian uranium at Sizewell B. The UK must close every possible avenue that could be used to fund Putin’s imperialism.”

Dr David Lowry, a former member of the independent advisory panel for the Chief UK Nuclear Safety and Security Inspector and a nuclear policy consultant, said: “It is sheer hypocrisy for energy ministers to say we need new nuclear to stop being dependent on imported Russian energy, when our biggest and newest nuclear plant is fully fuelled by Putin’s uranium.”

Sizewell B is the UK’s newest existing nuclear power station, despite having been completed 30 years ago. It has an operating pressurised water reactor, capable of supplying 2.5 million homes, or around 3% of the UK’s entire electricity needs.

The plant uses enriched reprocessed uranium sourced from Russia by EDF’s fuel supplier Framatome. Sources say Sizewell B is unique in the UK and that Russia is home to the only facility in the world which can prepare the required material.

EDF says it has the potential to generate for at least a further 20 years beyond its current end of generation date of 2035.

Alison Downes, from the Stop Sizewell C campaign group, claimed the limited sources for uranium called into question the rationale for backing nuclear. "It is a major stumbling block," she said.

Estimates vary on how much money Russia is raking from uranium exports. The Royal United Services Institute has pointed to a range of sources showing $2.7billion (£2billion) of enriched uranium imports from Russia in 2023.

An EDF spokesperson said: “EDF remains in full compliance with all sanctions placed by the EU, UK and French Governments, regarding business with Russia. We have removed Russian input to the nuclear fuel supply chain for all UK plants except Sizewell B, due to long term commitments struck years before Russia invaded Ukraine.

“The fuel assemblies we load into our reactor come from our fuel supplier, Framatome, from a facility in western Europe, and the aim is to remove all Russian involvement from Sizewell B’s fuel supply chain by 2028. EDF continues to work closely with UK companies, and the government, to create facilities which will be central to the future of the UK and Europe’s long term energy infrastructure.”

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “While the procurement of nuclear fuel, including uranium and enrichment services, is a commercial matter for operators, we have committed to prevent the import of nuclear fuels from Russia by 2030.”