Expected Brexit impacts

brexit-fact-base-london — Photo of Sizewell by SN Thomas Photography

The expected Brexit impacts of leaving Euratom included the following:

Nuclear safety

Leaving Euratom would not result in the industry being less safe. The UK has a well-established domestic civil nuclear regulator and safety regime.

The basic Euratom safety standards derive from international nuclear law which would continue to apply in the UK, even if it left the Euratom Community.

Nuclear fuel cycle

However, leaving Euratom could cause major disruption across the whole nuclear fuel cycle, both in the UK and overseas. To help mitigate risks, the government put in place some measures with non-EU countries to ensure supply of nuclear material for energy and medical use (see below).

From 1 January 2021 the UK would no longer come under the Euratom’s Nuclear Cooperation Agreements (NCAs) and would require new bilateral agreements.

Impact of ‘no deal’

A no-deal exit from Euratom at 31 December 2020 would still create three significant risks (and, by implication, costs) for the UK:

1. Reduced access to nuclear fuel. The UK has no domestic sources of nuclear fuel. Leaving Euratom breaks guarantees that support the supply chains from producers to UK customers.

The UK’s nuclear utilities should have enough fuel to cover short-term needs. However, the UK would have to rely on new relationships with other nations to guarantee long-term access to nuclear fuel.

2. Interruptions to the supply of medical isotopes. Leaving Euratom risks breaking a series of time-sensitive supply chains which supply isotopes used in nuclear medicine.

A disrupted supply chain would mean that hospitals would have to delay or cancel thousands of medical tests. Without the support of Euratom, the UK would be likely to face difficulties guaranteeing the supply of these materials to UK hospitals.

See the section on healthcare for a broader discussion of the implications of Brexit for healthcare.

3. Reduced participation in cutting-edge nuclear research. A key area of Euratom activity is nuclear power research, particularly nuclear fusion. The EU funds the world’s biggest nuclear fusion experiment, Torus, in Oxfordshire.

The UK’s departure from Euratom could jeopardise access to research funds and facilities. This and new immigration rules would make it more difficult for scientists and engineers in these fields to work in the UK. See section on science for more information on the benefits of the EU to UK science capability.

Government response

The Nuclear Safeguards Act 2018 makes provisions for the government to pass regulations on, and implement agreements relating to, nuclear safeguarding. The Act also extends the role of the Office for Nuclear Regulation to oversee application of the new UK regime.

This legislation addresses some of the gaps created by leaving Euratom, but it does not address other functions like access to expertise and capital to develop and operate nuclear technology.

The government:

has rolled over NCA agreements with US, Australia and Canada and the International Atomic Energy Agency;
has established a basis for co-operation with Japan;
has allocated increased funding to the UK regulator;
is procuring a new IT system and training new inspectors for the increased role of the UK regulator.

Note that other states, and Euratom itself, do not require NCAs to trade but additional government assurances may be required.