The UK-based Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) and the Ukrainian Nuclear Forum have signed a memorandum of understanding that establishes significant new areas of cooperation on complex decommissioning projects, small modular reactor (SMR) deployment and lobbying for trusted partner status under the EU’s industrial accelerator act (IAA).

The NIA said in a statement that nuclear energy plays a critical role in Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression, providing around 55% of the country's wartime electricity.

The expanded collaboration is founded on the UK’s existing nuclear fuel partnership with Ukraine. Urenco, a company which is one-third owned by the UK government, has supplied Ukraine for over 10 years and currently supplies all the uranium enrichment services required by Ukraine’s state nuclear operator Energoatom to operate its nuclear reactors in Ukraine.