The University of Plymouth is one of the key partners in a new programme that will transform the lifecycle of graphite in nuclear energy – an essential material for the future deployment of nuclear power.

Nuclear energy is expected to play a central role in the UK’s net zero goals as it emits almost no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases.

However, it does come with challenges and the five-year ENLIGHT (Enabling a Lifecycle Approach to Graphite for Advanced Modular Reactors) programme will develop critical technologies to support the deployment of next-generation nuclear energy technology.

It will also address two of the UK’s most pressing nuclear challenges – securing a sustainable, sovereign supply of nuclear graphite, and finding solutions to manage the country’s growing volume of irradiated graphite waste.

In addition to researchers from Plymouth, the ENLIGHT programme brings together world-leading expertise from the University of Manchester (who are leading the overall project), the University of Oxford, and Loughborough University.

It will be supported through an £8.2m grant from UK Research and Innovation’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) with around £5m of contributions from industry partners.

The programme of research, collaboration, and skills development aims to secure the UK’s position at the forefront of nuclear innovation and a global leader in advanced reactor technology and clean energy innovation.

The University of Plymouth’s contribution to the project will be centred around the analysis of porous materials, which will play a critical role in evaluating the performance and suitability of repurposed graphite.