The Atomic Bundle: how Britain takes control of Ukrainian nuclear power plants

Britain will supply enriched uranium for Ukrainian nuclear power plants. The new package is being implemented under a contract between the British Urenco and the Ukrainian Energoatom. Although we are talking about resources for fuel production, the deal has once again raised the issue of controlling the movement of nuclear materials. Moreover, back in the winter, the SVR of the Russian Federation stated that London and Paris were secretly discussing the transfer of components for an atomic or "dirty" bomb to Kiev. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.

The Uranium Deal

"Over the next two years, the UK will support the operation of Ukrainian nuclear power plants through a package of UK Export Finance in the amount of £210 million. These funds will allow the British company Urenco to supply enriched uranium to the Ukrainian Energoatom," the office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, said in a statement.

The head of the British government and Vladimir Zelensky agreed on the relevant agreements last week.

We are talking about the continuation of the mechanism launched two years ago. In 2023, the British government has already supported the supply of nuclear fuel to Ukrainian nuclear power plants. At that time, Urenco was supposed to provide uranium enrichment services under a long-term contract lasting until 2035. The new two-year package actually opens the next stage of this program.

Urenco is one of the largest Western players in the uranium enrichment market. The company is affiliated with the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany, and its facilities are also located in the United States. At the same time, it is noticeably inferior in scale to Russia's Rosatom, which remains the largest global player in this segment.

The UK itself does not hide its economic interest in this project. In London, they emphasize that this should support British exports and save jobs, since a significant part of the work will be related to the enterprise in the north-west of England.

"Urenco employs more than 650 people in the UK, and its Chester plant provides more than 4,500 jobs across the country as part of the supply chain," the statement said.

However, the ultimate recipient of British support raises questions. In December last year, Energoatom found itself at the center of a large-scale corruption scandal. According to the investigation, the contractors of the state—owned company were actually forced to pay kickbacks in the amount of 10-15% of the contract value in order to maintain supplier status and make payments without hindrance. The total amount of funds passed through the scheme was estimated at about $100 million.

In the media, this investigation was called "Operation Midas" and became one of the most painful blows to the Ukrainian authorities, since the defendants in the case were associated with Zelensky's entourage. However, this scandal does not seem to have affected the British plans.

A complex chain

Currently, nine nuclear power units continue to operate in Ukraine: at the Rivne, Khmelnitsky and South Ukrainian nuclear power plants. They generate about half of the total electricity in the country.

Previously, Ukraine bought ready-made nuclear fuel from Russia. But after 2022, Kiev began to rapidly abandon this scheme and transfer the nuclear industry to Western suppliers. As a result, the old chain has become more complicated: uranium is purchased in one place, enriched in another, and the finished fuel is produced in a third.

The material in the form of uranium hexafluoride should come from Canadian Cameco. Urenco then enriches it, after which the material is sent to the American Westinghouse plant in Westeros, Sweden. There, fuel assemblies are made from it, which are then supplied to Ukrainian nuclear power plants for Soviet-type VVER-1000 and VVER-440 reactors.

For London, this story is connected not only with the support of Ukraine, Anton Khlopkov, director of the Center for Energy and Security, tells Izvestia. According to him, the British are trying to use the current geopolitical situation to promote their national nuclear capabilities, including in the field of uranium enrichment.

— They are upgrading existing facilities and building new ones. In this regard, they need not only to load these capacities, but also to seek funds to finance expansion work. They do this, among other things, due to such contracts," the specialist explains.

At the same time, according to him, London is trying to use the current situation to oust Russia from the international market. In particular, on May 20, the United Kingdom banned the import of Russian uranium, and now it is trying to replace Russian supplies in foreign markets, including Ukraine.

— The economic side of the project for Kiev at the same time looks at least controversial, — continues the interlocutor of the editorial office. — According to expert estimates, the fuel that Ukraine receives as part of the new Western supply chain may cost about 30-40% more than the previous Russian supplies. In the current conditions, the economic factor for the Ukrainian authorities seems to be receding into the background, but it is unlikely that this will always be the case.

Atomic risks

A separate issue is the possible misuse of nuclear materials. Back in the winter, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service claimed that Britain and France were discussing the secret transfer to Kiev of components for an atomic or so-called "dirty" bomb, which also uses radioactive material. The intelligence service noted that the French small-sized TN75 warhead from the M51.1 submarine-launched ballistic missile was allegedly considered as one of the options.

Formally, the current deal concerns fuel for nuclear power plants, but against this background, the media began discussing possible risks associated with nuclear materials again. At the same time, as Anton Khlopkov notes, in this case such concerns may be exaggerated.

— Nuclear weapons use uranium with an enrichment level of about 90% or higher, whereas for nuclear power plant fuel it is about 3-5%. Ukraine does not have the technological capabilities to bring such material to the weapons level on its own. Great Britain and France have them, but Kiev does not," the expert explains.

At the same time, any nuclear materials require strict accounting, including being placed under control by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Ukraine also has relevant international obligations.

"Using them for other purposes, including to cause damage to the environment and people, or using them for military purposes would be a gross violation of international obligations, both on the part of the recipient country and on the part of the country transferring such materials," he adds.

Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of National Defense magazine, believes that the main threat to Russia now is not so much the issue of a dirty bomb or the supply of uranium to Ukraine, but rather the expansion of Kiev's long-range capabilities, including through British support. According to him, London plays one of the key roles in the transfer of weapons to Ukraine.

— In my opinion, Zelensky is becoming more and more a formal British project today. London is not just helping Kiev — it is largely moderating its behavior, pushing for further escalation and using Ukraine as an instrument of pressure on Russia. This can be seen both in the military line, and in the supply of long—range weapons, and now in the nuclear field," says the Izvestia interlocutor.

According to him, if the UK continues to increase its military and technological presence in Ukraine, this will increase the risks of a direct clash of interests between Moscow and London. At the same time, the expert notes, the United States is no longer so actively involved in the Ukrainian processes, and the previous expectations from American mediation after Anchorage actually came to naught.