UK gives £15m to help Russia dump nuclear fuel

The UK is to give a £15m (€22m) grant to Russia to help pay for a storage facility for spent nuclear fuel, the British government announced today.

British Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt, who is on an official visit to Moscow, said the money will be used to pay for an interim storage facility and 50 storage casts in Murmansk.

Ms Hewitt said the spent nuclear fuel presented a “major nuclear security and environmental concern” for the area.

She added that trade between the UK and Russia was worth £4bn (€5.9bn) last year and relationships between the two countries were continuing to grow.

“It is vital that Russia continues to improve its business climate to attract more foreign investment and help its own economy expand.”