Grant Shapps visits Kyiv as UK backs Ukraine nuclear power

UK enactment volition assistance powerfulness Ukraine's atomic plants, Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps has said aft visiting the country.

The authorities has announced it volition supply a £192m indebtedness warrant to alteration a UK-based institution to proviso Ukraine with uranium enrichment services, a captious portion of atomic fuel.

Nuclear powerfulness generates much than fractional of Ukraine's electricity.

But its largest plant, astatine Zaporizhzhia, is presently held by Russia.

While helium was successful Ukraine connected Tuesday, Mr Shapps visited a powerfulness station, which has been severely damaged by Russian bombing.

He besides met elder Ukrainian ministers and vigor manufacture figures successful Kyiv to sermon the UK's enactment for the country's recovery. 

The authorities has said it volition supply the indebtedness warrant done UK Export Finance - the UK's export recognition bureau - to alteration UK-headquartered institution Urenco to proviso Ukraine's nationalist atomic company,  Energoatom.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said this would bring the full of the UK's non-military assistance to Ukraine to astir £5bn.

It said the enactment would fortify Ukraine's vigor information arsenic it defends itself against the Russian invasion, arsenic good arsenic support its independency from Russian atomic fuel.

Ukraine has 4 atomic powerfulness plants - including Europe's largest astatine Zaporizhzhia - but earlier the Russian penetration successful February 2022 it had been receiving astir of its atomic services and substance from Russia.

It has been reducing its dependence and successful June past twelvemonth signed a woody with US institution Westinghouse to proviso substance to each its atomic powerfulness stations.

Mr Shapps said: "Our enactment for Ukraine is unwavering successful the look of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's barbaric penetration - the UK continues to basal with Ukraine arsenic they repel Russian attacks and rebuild their country."

He added: "Putin has utilized vigor arsenic a limb of war: the enactment contiguous to enactment atomic substance deliveries volition assistance Ukraine extremity their reliance connected Russian supplies and bolster their vigor security."

The UK announcement comes aft a gathering of G7 vigor ministers successful Japan earlier this year, wherever the UK, US, Canada, Japan and France agreed a caller atomic substance confederation successful an effort to fortify the assemblage successful each state and propulsion Russia retired of the market.

Other European countries person besides offered fiscal enactment to Ukraine's vigor assemblage done the Ukraine Energy Support Fund, which aims to repair harm caused by Russia to infrastructure and support it running.

Last year, Mr Shapps took successful a Ukrainian household arsenic portion of the government's Homes for Ukraine scheme.

While successful Ukraine, Mr Shapps visited a kindergarten, which was damaged by Russian shelling and was antecedently attended by Nikita, the young lad of the household who lived with him.

The children performed a opus earlier Mr Shapps played them a recorded connection from Nikita.