UK Nuclear Industry Association and Ukrainian Nuclear Forum Sign Nuclear Energy Cooperation Memorandum

On September 10, 2026, the UK Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) and the Ukrainian Nuclear Forum signed a memorandum of understanding to expand cooperation in areas including decommissioning of complex nuclear facilities, deployment of small modular reactors, and securing "trusted partner" status under the EU's Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA).

Nuclear energy is an important source of Ukraine's wartime electricity supply, accounting for approximately 55% of the country's electricity supply. This cooperation builds on existing UK-Ukraine nuclear fuel cooperation. Urenco, one-third owned by the UK government, has supplied relevant services to Ukraine for more than 10 years and currently provides all uranium enrichment services required for the operation of nuclear reactors in Ukraine for Energoatom. The UK government has also provided a £210 million loan guarantee to support Energoatom's procurement of enriched uranium. Energoatom operates all nuclear power plants in Ukraine.

Under the memorandum, the two sides will work on the EU's Industrial Accelerator Act to promote equal treatment of UK and Ukrainian industrial content with EU-origin content. Under the current draft of the act, new nuclear power projects are required to use a certain proportion of EU-origin content, and UK and Ukrainian supplies could be excluded or placed at a disadvantage in such projects. The UK Nuclear Industry Association believes that the UK and Ukraine cooperate closely with multiple EU partners in the nuclear industry, and that granting more favorable arrangements to content from the two countries would help reduce the delivery costs and shorten the construction cycles of EU nuclear power projects.

In terms of nuclear facility decommissioning, the two sides plan to organize technical exchange visits, focusing on cooperation in robotic systems, remote operations, and digital monitoring technologies, and to share experience gained from major decommissioning projects at the UK's Sellafield and Ukraine's Chernobyl.

In the field of small modular reactors (SMRs), Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada is reviewing a draft law aimed at promoting SMR deployment. The UK nuclear industry will provide advice and practical experience to the Ukrainian side on SMR deployment, regulation, and site selection.

The memorandum was signed during a visit to Ukraine by a UK civil nuclear industry trade delegation. The delegation was led by Lord McNicol, Chairman of the UK Nuclear Industry Association. During the visit, the NIA and the UK civil nuclear company Amentum held talks with Ukrainian nuclear industry-related companies, Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Energy Anatolii Kutsovol, key lawmakers of the Verkhovna Rada's nuclear energy subcommittee, and the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management and its subordinate bodies.

Ihor Dyr, Director General of the Ukrainian Nuclear Forum, expressed hope that the consensus formed through this working meeting and discussions would help expand the scale of participation by Ukrainian and UK companies in international nuclear energy projects. Lord McNicol said that the UK and Ukrainian nuclear industries can learn from each other in new nuclear power projects and decommissioning projects, promoting faster, more economical, and more efficient project implementation.