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Russians plan to break into British nuclear energy industry

Move by state-owned group revives fears over Kremlin's use of energy as a political weapon

• Terry Macalister
• The Observer, Sunday 13 September 2009
• Article history

The Russians have unveiled bold ambitions to break into the British nuclear market in a move which could revive nervousness about the Kremlin's use of energy as a political weapon.

State-owned Atomenergoprom has already signed a joint venture with Toshiba, whose Westinghouse subsidiary manages the UK's main nuclear fuel manufacturing plant at Springfields in Lancashire. It is in talks about a similar arrangement with Siemens, which wants to become a significant supplier to a new generation of reactors in this country.