The UK is in talks with its French counterparts to buy out three nuclear sites from state-owned energy giant Électricité de France (EDF), as the British government seeks to take control of the future expansion of nuclear energy, Politico reports, UNN writes.
Details
British ministers are discussing the purchase of Bradwell B, Heysham and Hartlepool with the French side, a French government official confirmed to the publication.
Discussions have taken place. No decision has been made yet, and discussions will continue
Two senior industry officials in the UK, familiar with government planning and granted anonymity to discuss confidential plans, also said talks to buy the three sites are ongoing.
This version was denied by the British government, and the Ministry of Energy Security and Net Zero issued a statement saying: "We categorically do not recognise these claims."
Energy Minister Ed Miliband and French Industry and Energy Minister Marc Ferracci discussed the talks on the sidelines of the International Energy Agency summit in London earlier this week, the official added.
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The next key moment could come in July as part of a proposed Franco-British summit. Any move to transfer the sites to state ownership comes as Britain mulls the most ambitious revival of nuclear power in a generation.
At a conference last December, Miliband insisted that nuclear power is important for "all of the above approaches" to energy security and low-carbon energy.
My door is open" for future nuclear projects as Britain seeks to achieve its legally binding net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050
He added that the UK needs nuclear power to play an important role in the search for clean, stable and reliable energy.
We need nuclear power, we need wind power, we need solar power, we need batteries... we need hydrogen, we need carbon capture. And nuclear power plays a special role in the search for clean, stable and reliable energy
Addition
The US Department of Energy has designated ally South Korea as a "sensitive" country. This comes after the South Korean president briefly imposed martial law and amid talk of Seoul potentially developing nuclear weapons.