Ministers were last night finalising a multimillion-pound bailout package to restart carbon dioxide supplies and prevent a crisis in the UK’s food and nuclear industries.
The deal will mean that the government will pay tens of millions of pounds to a US fertiliser firm to reverse its decision to shut two plants which the company said had become uneconomic because of rising gas prices.
Ministers acted after being warned that consumers could face food shortages within days unless supplies were resumed. They were also told that the UK’s six advanced gas cooled nuclear reactors that also use CO2 were at risk and might have to close.
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Carbon dioxide is a by-product of fertiliser manufacture and
