The United States government has given its consent to plans to return a shipment of MOX fuel from Japan to the United Kingdom.

In line with the US-Japan Bilateral Agreement Concerning the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, US consent to the transfer was required.

Forum Response: BNFL

Norman Askew, chief executive of BNFL, told ePolitix.com: "This enables us to honour the commitment I gave to the customer when I arrived at BNFL two years ago. We are now in a position to return the fuel to the UK this year, which is exactly what we set out to do.

"Returning this fuel to the United Kingdom will bring to an end a chapter in BNFL's operations from which many lessons have been learned.

"I am delighted now that the shipment has all the necessary consents and I look forward to strengthening our relationship with the Kansai Electric Power Company and taking our business forward in Japan."