Northwest drives Britain’s Nuclear awakening

Global efforts to control greenhouse gas emissions and a want for low-cost, dependable electricity have amplified worldwide demand for nuclear energy.

In the next 20 years the world will need more energy - more specifically - cleanly generated electricity. And there is a strong argument that nuclear power could provide the most environmentally sympathetic way of creating electricity on a huge scale.

The Government’s aim to reduce C02 emissions by at least 80% by 2050, offers a robust framework for continued investment in the UK’s nuclear sector.

Energy Minster Lord Hunt told Industry Link magazine: "Supply chain events are important because it will help British business be first off the blocks in the global supply chain race. They have the potential to secure billions for the wider UK economy."

And the Northwest is (regardless of heated political arguments surrounding this issue) best placed to drive Britain’s Nuclear awakening.

It’s the UK’s foremost location for nuclear infrastructure: home to AMEC, Urenco, NUKEM, Serco, Atkins, Jordan and Westinghouse - all who play a role in the nuclear supply chain.

And NWDA confirms that more than 300 companies based in the Northwest employ more than 25,000 of the nuclear workforce – giving a turnover of approximately £3 billion every year. That’s more than half of the UK's total.

As well as internationally recognised technical expertise it also houses state-of-the-art research bases.

Paramount to the future of the region is the £8 million upgrade to the nuclear laboratories at the University of Manchester's Dalton Nuclear Institute which will work with University of Sheffield to deliver the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC) in South Yorkshire.

A nuclear armoury

Meanwhile four sites in the Northwest (Heysham in Lancashire, and Braystones, Sellafield and Kirksanton in Cumbria) have been named as potential UK sites for a new generation of nuclear power stations by the Low Carbon Economic Area (LCEA) as part of the Low Carbon Industrial Strategy (July 2009).

The establishment of Britain’s Energy Coast in Cumbria received considerable impetus in late October 2009 when it was announced that a consortium had purchased land earmarked for a new nuclear power station near Sellafied. Energy giants Iberdrola S.A, EDF SUEZ S.A, and Scottish & Southern Energy Plc make up a Spanish, French, British consortium which has the intention of beginning construction of the new power station in 2015 on the purchased site (North of the existing Sellafield complex).

Sellafield, of course, plays a central role in the £70 billion decommissioning programme of the UK's civil nuclear sites. It’s one of the largest nuclear waste material projects in the UK, (aka the Evaporator D project and is due to be completed in 2014).

Looking to the future

The future of Nuclear continues to revolve around the Northwest. Business magazine Outlook stated that the most significant event in the history of Central Lancashire-based Springfields is currently being planned. It was referring to Westinghouse Electric Company’s plans with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to take over the long-term lease at Springfields. The final decision will be announced on April 1.

This development will undoubtedly be at the forefront of the region delivering a low carbon economy, giving the potential for new facilities including additional fuel fabrication, residue processing, and uranium hexafluoride production.

Aris Candris, President and CEO of Westinghouse, told World Nuclear News: "This arrangement would give us the opportunity to consider significant investment in the site as we continue to see strong signs of a nuclear renaissance, bringing with it increased demand for fuel supplies. It offers longer-term security of employment to current employees, as well as the potential for new jobs in the future."

The bigger issues

The future of Nuclear will have far-reaching effects. And is a topic often at the top of the political agenda. Lord Mandelson said: “We know that we have to make the transition to a low carbon future, and the Government is determined to ensure that British businesses get the support they need to seize the opportunities that transition creates.”

He added: "The civil nuclear sector is one of the key low carbon industries where the UK has the potential for job creation, economic growth and engineering and manufacturing excellence. This is about investing in our future. A greener, smarter, more skilled, more balanced British economy."

Without the skills to do it, however, these comments are simply hot air.

People power

One of the major issues facing the sector according to the sector skills council, Cogent, is that the nuclear workforce is older than the general workforce and is suffering from an accelerating retirement rate. This will strip the industry of the most highly trained and experienced personnel.

Cogent’s no-nonsense Power People report (2009) said skills the UK’s nuclear industry will need a thousand new recruits per year. A major skills research programme is now underway. (Go to Cogent website to find out more.)


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