The United Kingdom has been an important destination for Australian uranium for nearly four decades. Australian uranium is both enriched on behalf of customers in other countries, and used to generate nuclear power, in the United Kingdom.

On 1 January 2021 (1000 AEDT), a new bilateral Australia-United Kingdom Nuclear Cooperation Agreement (signed in August 2018), entered into force. This coincided with the conclusion of the United Kingdom's transition period.

The new Australia-United Kingdom Nuclear Cooperation Agreement will support the uninterrupted transfer of Australian uranium to the United Kingdom and smooth commercial operations for Australian uranium mining companies. The new Agreement ensures the United Kingdom meets Australia's uranium export policy requirements, and underlines the strong commitment of Australia and the United Kingdom to nuclear non-proliferation, nuclear security and nuclear safety.

With the entry into force of the new Australia-United Kingdom Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, cooperation between Australia and European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) member states will continue unaffected under the Australia-Euratom Nuclear Cooperation Agreement. The new Australia-United Kingdom Nuclear Cooperation Agreement effectively mirrors the existing obligations between Australia and the United Kingdom under the Australia-Euratom Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, which ceased to apply to the United Kingdom at the conclusion of the transition period.

Entry into force of the new Australia-United Kingdom Nuclear Cooperation Agreement

The new Australia-United Kingdom Nuclear Cooperation Agreement entered into force after the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community ceased to apply to the United Kingdom, and after the entry into force of the new bilateral Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol between the United Kingdom and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Australia-United Kingdom 1979 Nuclear Cooperation Agreement

Australia had an existing 1979 bilateral Nuclear Cooperation Agreement with the United Kingdom (see below). However, from 1982 – when Australia entered into a Nuclear Cooperation Agreement with Euratom – nuclear cooperation between Australia and the United Kingdom has primarily occurred under the Australia-Euratom Nuclear Cooperation Agreement. Some forms of cooperation during this period occurred under the 1979 Australia-United Kingdom Nuclear Cooperation Agreement.

The 1979 Australia-United Kingdom Nuclear Cooperation Agreement terminated on entry onto force of the new Australia-United Kingdom Nuclear Cooperation Agreement.

For further information on the UK's withdrawal from the EU, please visit the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's dedicated webpage. For general enquiries related to the Australia-United Kingdom Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, please contact: nuclear.asno@dfat.gov.au

Related documents

• Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (2018)
• National Interest Analysis (2018)
• Joint Standing Committee on Treaties Report 184, Nuclear Cooperation UK (2018)
• Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the International Atomic Energy Agency for the Application of Safeguards in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (2018)
• Protocol Additional to the Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the International Atomic Energy Agency for the Application of Safeguards in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Connection with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (2018)
• Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning Nuclear Transfers between Australia and the United Kingdom (1979)