News

Urenco makes significant investment in new UK facility for sustainable energy

07 June 2019

Urenco announces the completed construction of a new multi-million pound Tails Management Facility (TMF) in Capenhurst near Chester, UK, as part of a long standing commitment to help provide reliable, cost effective and sustainable power generation.

Today, the TMF was officially opened at a ceremony attended by senior representatives from Government, industry and the local community.

Urenco’s core business is enriching uranium to provide sustainable energy for the world. Enriched uranium is an integral component in civil nuclear power generation. The responsible management of the by-product of the enrichment process, known as tails, is crucial to Urenco’s commitment to sustainability. Tails are converted to uranium oxide, which is stable and allows long-term storage prior to either further enrichment or safe disposal of the residual uranium. To enable the conversion, Urenco invested in the TMF, which is operated by a subsidiary company Urenco ChemPlants.

Boris Schucht, Chief Executive Officer, Urenco, said:

“The TMF is a key element in Urenco’s commitment to sustainable energy generation. It is a further tangible demonstration of our responsible management of nuclear materials.

“We are very proud of our safety record during the construction of the TMF. We achieved more than seven million hours of safe working, making the TMF one of the safest construction sites in the UK and a credit to the whole workforce.

“Urenco makes an important contribution to the UK and globally – in terms of supplier spend, salaries, workforce and new infrastructure and we are proud to have made this significant addition to our organisation and the UK economy.”

Notes to editors

• More information about Urenco ChemPlants and the Tails Management Facility can be seen here.
• The contribution Urenco makes to the UK economy and society was highlighted in a report commissioned by Urenco in 2018 from the University of Central Lancashire. For more information, see here.
• This film was made in collaboration with ITN Productions and the Chemical Industries Association as part of a programme called Solutions for our Future.