Industry Link - Autumn 2019

MAGAZINE OF THE UK NUCLEAR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION AUTUMN / 2019

NIAUK.ORG

Providing a low carbon future 2

GDF: WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES 21 Flying start 18 for new NIA Fusion Group ENGINEERING THE NET 12 ZERO SYSTEM

James Fisher Nuclear

Simply The Right Solution A world class project and technical integrator for the nuclear industry.

Providing engineering, manufacturing and specialist services, built on a culture of excellence, innovation and practical experience.

UK reactor segmentation

www.jfnl.co.uk

Dan Powney dan.powney@niauk.org

Well here I am again, just over a year since my last appearance as Editor, and there have been more significant changes to the NIA. We saw Hannah and Shayne move on to new opportunities and bid a fond farewell to Peter Haslam, who is now settling into a well-deserved retirement.

For those of you fortunate enough to work with Peter I’m sure you will appreciate how much he will be missed by all of us at the NIA. As a parting gift he left us with one more PowerPolitics, giving an insight into his experiences of working in the energy sector over the last 40 years.

We have another great issue for you with a lead piece from Tom Greatrex on the importance of nuclear as part of a low carbon future, a topic picked up on later in an article by SNC Lavalin Atkins.

Frazer-Nash and Rolls-Royce teach us about security by design in modular reactor technology, while NIASS advise on the importance of bid preparation through capture planning.

We learn five take-aways from the Diversity and Inclusion in UK Nucelar event, and RWM discusses its experience of working with communities to find a geological disposal site.

IN THIS ISSUE...

INTERNATIONAL TRADE POST BREXIT OPPORTUNITIES PAGE 26

MAJOR MILESTONE FOR LLWR

IN VIEW

PAGE 14

PAGE 29

PAGE 10 PETER’S FINAL POWER POLITICS

NIAUK.ORG Follow us: @NIAUK

Editor / Art Editor - Dan Powney Contributors - Tom Greatrex, Peter Haslam, Ieuan Williams, Georgina Hines, Gareth Davies, Adrian Prior – Frazer-Nash, Rob Barnes – Rolls Royce, John Carine & Steve Hughes – NIASS, Joshua Rimmer – NSG, Alicia De Haldevang – SNC Lavalin Atkins, Monica Mwanje – MM Creative Solutions, Callum Thomas – Thomas Thor, Paul Nevitt & Adrina Bull – NNL, Duncan Flint – RWM, Alex Ellicott – ARC, with additional thanks to World Nuclear News

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Cover image: Courtesy of Radioactive Waste Management - www.gov.uk This magazine is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, using vegetable based inks.

Providing a low carbon future BY. TOM GREATREX

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“DURING THE LAST TWELVE MONTHS, WE HAVE SEEN THE PUBLICATION OF A SERIES OF REPORTS THAT DEMONSTRATE THE NEED FOR MORE AND NEW NUCLEAR IF WE ARE TO MEET THE WORLD’S CURRENT EMISSIONS TARGETS”

The difficulty with trying to write an article for Industry Link that touches on government politics, policy and implications for both the energy industry and the civil nuclear sector, is that even when writing right up to deadline (as I am doing now), on the basis of the past few weeks, the likelihood is everything could have changed again by the time you are reading this.

The fast moving, fluid and volatile political situation in the UK means that we have a new Secretary of State, another new Minister with specific responsibility for nuclear, and a spending review that has not given much in the way of insight of how the country intends to meet our net zero carbon ambitions – which, in case you missed it, became law with precious little attention, just a few weeks ago.

This is important because, for some time now, the NIA has been part of making the case to government, to Parliamentarians, to commentators and journalists and to the wider energy industry of the importance of maintaining an approach of a broad low carbon mix of ways to provide the power we need for our homes, business and public services – and increasingly our vehicles – in which nuclear will have a significant part to play.

During the course of the last twelve months the winding up of NuGen, the suspension of work related to Horizon’s project at Wylfa and parts of the supply chain finding market conditions tough means it looks like a tough period for civil nuclear, with the usual suspects queuing up to proclaim the demise of nuclear power (albeit without any credible alternatives). Except that isn’t the complete story.

Also during the last twelve months, we have seen the publication of a series of reports that demonstrate the need for more new nuclear if we are to meet the world’s current emissions targets, let alone those which the UK has been the first developed nation to enshrine in legislation.

It is worth remembering just what an important role nuclear plays in providing low carbon power – it is frequently overlooked.

For example, as the International Energy Agency’s report earlier this year demonstrated, even after the last decade and a bit of substantial expansion, subsidy support and technological development in solar and wind that has helped develop those variable output renewables, nuclear is the largest source of low carbon power in advanced global economies.

Despite a concerted policy effort in many countries to promote low carbon electricity as part an effort to tackle greenhouse gasses, in both 2017 and 2018 carbon emissions increased around the world.

At the same time, demand for power from both developing and growing middle classes in a number of highly populated countries continues to grow, and even in those nations with a developed middle class the demand that is put on power as more move from fossil fuels for their homes, offices and transport needs requires significant new generating capacity.

While the focus of political debate on climate change may have been primarily protests in the streets and children joining climate strikes from school, that underlines the urgency of taking action.

That urgency has prompted some consideration within the UK government of factors we have long warned were undermining the process of getting our current nuclear capacity replaced.

In the last few days of Theresa May’s government, BEIS published the long anticipated consultation on the adoption of a RAB model to fund new nuclear developments. This is an important element of the cost reduction target agreed by industry in the Nuclear Sector Deal last year, and a key part of helping ensure that our current capacity is replaced and cost to consumers are reduced.

There were also hints in the new Chancellor’s financial statement last week of the government’s response to the now well out of date, off the pace and ultimately rather pathetic report of the National Infrastructure Commission – and following an early conversation with the latest Minister responsible for nuclear, Nadhim Zahawi MP, a positive tweet highlighting the importance of nuclear in meeting our future low carbon emissions.

Of course, warm words quickly cool to tepid when they are not backed with a policy framework – but the increasingly robust evidence case that decarbonisation not only needs nuclear, but also costs more without it; the recognition and progress towards a more appropriate financing mechanism for new projects and the promise of the reassessment of the infrastructure requirements of the country in the context of net zero, all show that the last twelve months have not been without some significant progress.

What happens next, of course, brings us back to where we started and the volatility of politics in the UK as an inhibiting factor on progress across many sectors of the economy. While the immediate focus of quite how, when and on what terms we might or might not cease to be part of the European Union – and the political casualties of that high stakes Westminster drama – careers onwards, there remain serious issues for the government to address. None with more long term significance than providing the low carbon power we need for the future.

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Modular reactor technologies: ensuring security by design BY. ADRIAN PRIOR / FRAZER-NASH CONSULTANCY AND ROB BARNES / ROLLS-ROYCE PLC

Increasing Effectiveness

Security Hierarchy of Controls

Increasing Cost For conventional nuclear power plants, the cost of security has been estimated at close to seven per cent of the overall site operating budget. There are unique aspects of future modular reactors, which will create some additional security challenges, as a result of off-site reactor construction and transportation, and fleet operations – these might push security costs up further.

Modular reactor operators will aspire to drive down operational security expenditure to remain viable, but the solution may actually be in the hands of vendors, who can inf luence a ‘secure by design’ approach.

The reactor and plant design phase offers a golden opportunity for developers to eliminate or mitigate securityrelated hazards at source, and not just rely on the traditional approach of ‘retro-fitting’ security controls (such as barriers, CCTV and sensors) after much of the initial design work is complete.

‘Secure by design’ is about seeking to build-in inherent security through intrinsic features in the reactors and the plant itself, rather than design the reactor and then work out how to protect the nuclear island afterwards.

Some of this work will be regarded as lying within the safety domain but will deliver security related benefits. For

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example, the adoption of a passive rather than active reactor cooling solution, could reduce (but not eliminate) the risk of sabotage of the reactor by malicious damage to this system.

Passive engineering in general is, therefore, a key consideration when applying a ‘secure by design’ approach.

The Office for Nuclear Regulation published a ‘Hierarchy of Security Controls’ within its Security Assessment Principles (2017), which provides a useful framework of ‘secure by design’ risk reduction considerations (see diagram above).

A ‘secure by design’ model can also be applied to an existing design, although this is clearly less efficient than if expedited during the original design phase. An industry example is Westinghouse, who made proposed retrospective changes to their AP1000 conventional reactor design in 2007, which included:

→→Greater reliance on natural forces for safe shutdown; →→Removing reliance on an extremal water source for safe shutdown; and

→→A more robust containment structure to provide mitigation

against an aircraft strike.

Clearly, none of these options rely on the use of classic security controls, but they do provide significant security

Frazer-Nash’s Adrian Prior and RollsRoyce’s Rob Barnes describe how future modular reactor technology projects can exploit a ‘secure by design’ approach to help drive down operational security costs and increase resilience.

Reduce/remove NM/ORM inventory (e.g. redundant sources) or regularly weeding SNI Changing or swapping processes such as using off site delivery points, using less hazardous sources or annexing SNI in documents Passive protection measures such as static hostile vehicle mitigation, remote handling operations to minimise/prevent access, air gaps and demilitarised zones for cyber security Active protection such as rising arm hostile vehicle mitigation, automatic access control systems, firewalls and anti-virus software

Includes policy and procedures such as searching, two-person principles, password control and manual alarm assessment

benefit. To achieve this, there must be a collaborative approach by security and safety specialists, with the design engineers.

The UK government’s Nuclear Innovation Programme funding is enabling a joint Frazer-Nash Consultancy/ Rolls-Royce project team to examine how the opportunity to deliver ‘security by design’ can be realised. The team’s research is focusing on understanding where significant risk reduction opportunities exist in the design process, how they will provide a return on security investment, and how best to exploit them.

The output will be guidance on the implementation of a ‘secure by design’ methodology for both new build and existing designs. It will provide a structured approach supported by relevant principles and tools.

By building security into the design stage, developers can reap many benefits. It has the potential to reduce security operating costs and improve security system effectiveness, making sites and operations more resilient.

In the event that a malicious act on a vital area does occur, it can help to reduce potential radiological consequences and minimise the size of the emergency planning zone. If applied effectively, ‘secure by design’ is likely to provide a competitive advantage for vendors and operators.

MEDIA WATCH NEWS

On 2 May, the Committee on Climate Change published ‘Net Zero – The UK’s contribution to stopping global warming’.

The report recommended the UK target 100% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

In response, Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of the NIA said: “This report is a timely wake up call to government and society, it is also an important reminder that reducing our reliance on high emission fuels to generate power is the priority. Clean electricity sources need to work together, not pit themselves against each other, if we are to meet 2050 ambitions.”

National Grid in June, published projections which showed more of Britain’s electricity in 2019 will be generated from zero carbon sources than fossil fuels for the first time since the industrial revolution.

In response to this, Tom Greatrex commented, “In the UK’s first ever week without coal-fired power in May of this year, nuclear supplied over 50% of the UK’s domestically generated clean electricity… With the right commitment in place, our industry can deliver a pipeline of affordable clean power, develop new technologies and create thousands of highly skilled jobs in the process.”

Later in June, construction at Hinkley Point C reached a key milestone, marking the final concrete pour on the common raft of the nuclear island for unit 1.

Tom Greatrex commented: “It’s great to see Hinkley Point C on schedule, meeting this significant milestone. While Hinkley will generate power for the equivalent of 7% of homes, one new nuclear power station will not be enough to meet the government’s net zero target.”

On 22 July, the government published a consultation on using a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) financing model for new nuclear power plants. Upon the announcement, Tom Greatrex spoke on Radio 4’s Today and said, “The RAB model promises to make a substantial contribution to reducing the cost of building the new nuclear capacity we need.

“This approach is already well established with investors in large infrastructure projects, and will reduce the cost to consumers as we replace our ageing fleet. Doing so is fundamental to meeting net zero, and we need to get on with it now.”

In August, the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee published its report “Clean Growth: Technologies for meeting the UK’s emissions reduction target”. The NIA responded by saying “We welcome the Committee’s conclusion that new nuclear is needed to reach the government’s net zero by 2050 target… It is imperative government urgently put in place the necessary regulatory and financial frameworks to enable the development of new power stations – both to replace our current fleet, and to provide the firm power element of our future mix which the Committee on Climate Change have demonstrated will be required to successfully meet net zero.”

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New Jersey unveils clean energy master plan The US state has released its Draft 2019 Energy Master Plan (EMP) for the total conversion of its energy profile to 100% “clean energy” by 2050.

The EMP features several strategies to achieve carbon-neutral electricity generation to meet or exceed reductions of greenhouse gas emissions of 80% below 2006 levels by 2050.

New Jersey’s 2018 generation was produced primarily through a combination of natural gas (51.6%) and nuclear (42.5%) power sources. The two-unit Salem and single-unit Hope Creek nuclear power plants currently produce 32% of the state’s power.

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Russia’s floating plant Akademik Lomonosov, which Rosatom describes as the world’s first floating nuclear power plant set sail for its final destination of Pevek.

Upon completing the 4,700 km journey the plant will become a central part of the Chukotka region’s power supply, replacing the Bilibino nuclear

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power plant and the Chaunskaya combined heat and power plant.

Rosatom said the project is one of the most promising small nuclear power reactors on the market today. Suited to very remote areas and island states that require stable, green sources of energy.

Floating nuclear power units can operate non-stop without the need for refuelling for three to five years, considerably reducing the cost of electricity generation. The reactors have the potential to work particularly well in regions with extended coastlines, power supply shortages and limited access to electricity grids.

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Bangladesh completes basemat of turbine hall The pouring of concrete for the foundation of the turbine building at unit 2 of the Rooppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh has been completed.

In February 2011 Rosatom signed an agreement for two 1,000 MWe-class reactors to be built at Rooppur for the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission.

The foundation structure of the turbine hall comprises 3,782 tonnes of steel rebars and 23,550 cubic meters of concrete. Preparations have now begun for the building walls. Unit 1 is scheduled

to begin operation in 2023, with unit 2 following in 2024.

Bangladesh plans to produce 9% of its electricity from nuclear power and reduce its dependence on fossil fuels by the middle of the next decade.

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Czech state to back new nuclear units The Czech government has given preliminary approval to build at least one new nuclear power unit at Dukovany.

It recommended utility CEZ, which owns and operates the country’s two plants at Dukovany and Temelín, should create a subsidiary company to prepare construction plans and explore options for financing new reactors.

The government will provide CEZ, which is 70% state-owned, with guarantees to help it secure cheaper financing.

A decision on construction of a unit at the site is still years away with suppliers expected to be chosen by 2024.

First, one new reactor of at least 1,200 MW would be built at the existing site, to replace four units expected to be permanently shut down between 2035 and 2037.

The government adds new build will have a “major impact” on its ability to meet its emissions reduction targets.

For more details on these and other stories please visit www.world-nuclear-news.org

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BY. DAN POWNEY

This will be the tenth edition of the Jobs Map I have worked on. From my first, way back when I was temping for the NIA in 2009, I’ve seen plenty of ups, downs and changes across the industry as well as the map itself – including significant design alterations that I hope have created a more useful and engaging tool.

Back in 2009 the Jobs Map showed a total of 45,536 jobs in civil nuclear. Since then we’ve seen that number increase and decrease as NIA membership evolved, or as a reflection of major developments across industry.

At it’s peak, in 2016, the headline figure reached a grand total of 65,791. The last few years have seen some considerable blows with the suspension of the Horizon and NuGen projects, but we have still recorded a healthy total for 2019 at 59,419 jobs.

For the 2012 redesign we introduced the breakdown by region to show the distribution of jobs across the country. The North West remains the hub of the UK’s nuclear sector, with more than 24,000 people employed in the region, the South West is second with 12,295 and Scotland is home to 3,613 nuclear workers.

From 2015 onwards we also started collating the number of women, graduates and apprentices working in industry, and each year we see a higher participation from membership in submitting these figures.

Overall a fifth of all employees are female, almost 2,000 are on an apprenticeship programme and over 900 are part of a graduate scheme.

Have a look and see what information you can find in the Jobs Map on the NIA website – niauk.org/resources/ jobs-map – you can download a PDF or if you prefer a hard copy get in touch via info@niauk.org with your name and address.

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Strategise to progress from an unknown position to a favored position as viewed by the client

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IASS Ltd is approaching its fifth year in business and still sees many organisations struggling to identify, quantify and capture opportunities in the UK civil nuclear sector. In this article John Carine and Steve Hughes of NIASS explain capture planning and highlight some of their recent collaborative successes with other NIA member companies, so NIA members can learn how to adopt a more structured approach to winning work in the sector.

WHAT IS CAPTURE PLANNING? Capture planning is the process of identifying opportunities, assessing the environment, and implementing winning strategies to capture a specific business opportunity by influencing the client to prefer your organisation and solution.

Successful capture planning requires written, actionoriented strategies and the discipline to implement, monitor, and adapt those plans to changing client needs, internal issues, and competitive conditions.

UNDERSTANDING CLIENT NEEDS A large amount of tender opportunities in the UK civil nuclear sector are encompassed by government procurement regulations. A strict protocol of “no further dialogue” is adopted once a tender is about to be released and limited engagement is possible during the bid period.

Therefore, it is crucial to find out the client’s Critical Success Factors (CSFs) before a tender is issued. CSFs are generally tender specific, although common themes regularly occur. Make sure you fully understand and appreciate client CSFs from the onset.

OPTIMA SYSTEMS CONSULTANCY LTD Optima were successful in winning a contract to deliver systems engineering training for a confidential client in the nuclear sector.

NIASS identified the opportunity and provided an independent red team review of our proposal which focussed on compliance and evidence provision.

This proved to be a successful discriminator in the winning bid, so much so that Optima’s proposal achieved a score of 100%. “ NIASS provided us with insightful proposal feedback at very short notice which was instrumental in achieving compliance and full marks. NIASS identified a number of essential elements of our proposal for us to adapt which clearly improved our overall score to secure this important contract.”

Lloyd Price − Director Optima Systems Consultancy www.optimasc.co.uk BY. JOHN CARINE AND STEVE HUGHES ⁄ NIASS

Capture Planning 8 — AUTUMN | 2019

COMPETITOR ANALYSIS A key part of any capture plan includes a review and analysis of the competition. Preparing a structured, straightforward comparison of goods and services on a likefor-like basis will help you understand and demonstrate your unique selling point(s) and likely your competitor’s strengths and weaknesses.

We suggest the adoption of a competitor comparison matrix. This analysis also leads you to better understand and reinforce your potential weaknesses in an offer.

In the UK civil nuclear sector, we also have some unique supply chain arrangements whereby other companies may become your partners for one opportunity, and your competitoion in anothers. This has led to the affectionate term,“competimates.” Consideration of this is, again, key to forming the correct teams with the right partners.

BIDDING AND WINNING It has been demonstrated that capture planning improves the efficiency of bidding and winning an opportunity. Much of the plan data can be reused in the proposal plan. Capture planning can be seen to jump-start the tender response.

Some key points to remember are:

→→Adopt a formal process including storyboarding, pink (draft response) and red team (pre-final response) independent reviews

→→Answer the question(s). This may sound obvious but you

would be surprised how many organisations miss the point.

→→Substantiate your claims →→Align your most competitive offer to the client requirements →→Clearly present your value proposition and win themes in a tender

→→Fully understand the scoring criteria and review from the clients’ perspective

→→Give the client back what they need, rather than what you think they need

RISK MITIGATION Managing and containing risk in an offer is of critical importance. Do not assume that risk is a negative topic: clients are aware that every offer entails risk.

It is important to recognise all aspects of risk, draw up a risk management strategy, consider including a risk management section in your offer and explicitly identifying cost risk management/mitigation actions as required in the tender. Risks arise in many forms: technical, commercial and social, etc.

Consider using a costed risk register within a tender response, that you can walk the client through.

DOOSAN BABCOCK LIMITED Sellafield recently awarded a multi-billion, 20-year contract to a tiered supply chain for all future major capital project expenditure. NIASS supported Doosan Babcock in their bid for Lot 4 by providing bid storyboarding, independent pink and red team reviews and a full client shadow board that helped Doosan Babcock win a place on this prestigious framework. “ Throughout our PPP journey NIASS exhibited an excellent level of professionalism, flexibility, and salient knowledge of our Client and the nuances of the tender process. In particular, NIASS provided forthright analysis and access to high calibre knowledge centres; which when coupled with the amiable manner of their approach, meant NIASS quickly earned our trust, and were an integral element of the Doosan Babcock PPP tender team.”

Cameron Grieve − Doosan Babcock PPP Bid Director www.doosanbabcock.com

The above collaborations between NIA members shows that together we can be very successful. NIASS would welcome more of this collaboration across the NIA business groups and the sector as a whole.

We would also like to thank Fit For Nuclear for their support in putting companies through the process, which – having been through some of these with FAUN, Thyson Technology Limited and Hockley’s – we at NIASS are very supportive and recommend NIA companies look at using this free service.

Photo by Randy Fath on Unsplash — unsplash.com/@randyfath

MARKET AWARENESS A structured approach to analysing the market − i.e. finding out who is doing what, how well and for whom − is important before putting your capture plan into place. It is also critical when it comes to forming a collaborative and winning team.

After all, reputation is key in an industry that demands the highest levels of safety and quality.

Whenever possible, do not rely on word of mouth: speak to an end client and validate the data to be certain it is correct.

This approach should ensure you have a robust analysis of the team required and therefore improve your chances of winning the bid.

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Magazine decommissioning project completed at LLWR BY. JOSHUA RIMMER / NSG ENVIRONMENTAL LTD

A major milestone has been achieved at the Low Level Waste Repository in West Cumbria An aerial view of the magazines

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tarting in 2013, a collaborative team from NSG Environmental Ltd, LLW Repository Ltd (LLWR) and key supply chain partners has been decommissioning the remaining legacy plutonium contaminated facilities on the site.

The facilities, which originally comprised ten magazines and supporting infrastructure, were essentially concrete bunkers initially used to store ordnance during the Second World War. Following this, the facilities were used to store radioactive waste from nuclear sites across the UK. NSG were selected as the main contractor for the project in late 2012 and, together with LLWR, developed an integrated team that involved the client, contractor and specialist subcontractors working as one team to deliver efficiency in performance and communication.

Throughout the project, NSG provided project management, engineering resources, waste characterisation support, health physics monitors and the majority of the decommissioning operatives.

Competition between companies was put to one side and the team was strengthened with personnel from Nuvia, PC Richardson and Hertel.

These supply chain partners were selected based on aligned behaviours, the ability to contribute skills that complemented and added to the team, and site experience. The 50-strong site team, at the height of the project, was completed with site support and project

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oversight by LLWR, as well as off-site consultancy support from NSG. The scope of the project included development of the overall waste management strategy including supporting documentation; provision of supporting safety case and plant modification proposal documentation; development of the decommissioning and demolition methodologies; decommissioning of the magazines including surveys, decontamination and decommissioning of the historic plant and equipment; removal of the ventilation system; and eventual endpoint confirmatory surveys to support the future demolition programme.

One of the key features of the project was efficiency and the team were focused on beating the original ten-year schedule and £100 million budget. High levels of efficiency were achieved by working as a true integrated team, avoiding man marking and adopting a solution-focused approach to all challenges encountered.

Concluding in August 2019, the programme was completed in just over six years with a cost saving of approximately £20 million to the UK taxpayer.

The project was also considered one of the NDA’s top performing projects for a number of years.

As well as time and cost savings, the project also delivered an impressive safety record, with over 400,000 manhours of physical decommissioning work without a single lost time accident.

The importance of a positive health and safety culture was stressed from the

outset of the project and a number of safety initiatives were implemented by the project team.

In addition to weekly safety walkrounds and regular reporting, a ‘perfect days’ system was adopted to capture all minor incidents and breaches in areas that included safety standards, damage to property and upheld community complaints.

The system, which NSG had been using for a number of years at its own sites and client sites across the UK, was a new concept to LLWR and they have since adapted and implemented it as a site-wide initiative.

The project also alternated between monthly local safety meetings and safety exercises; the latter being used to refresh the team with the emergency response arrangements directly related to their day-to-day activities.

Gareth Wilson, Project Manager for NSG, commented: “As the decommissioning team demobilises and the demolition phase begins, the project closes out an important chapter in the site’s history.

“We will leave the site with fond memories, knowing the project’s legacy is one of safety, teamwork and success.

“I would personally like to thank Dennis Thompson, Paul Pointon, Rob Yetts, Carl Smith and the rest of the LLWR team for their support over the last six years, as well as the NSG team and our supply chain partners for making this project such a success.”

The site team in September 2015 Suiting up for decommissioning operations

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Engineering the Net Zero System BY. ALICIA DE HALDEVANG / SNC LAVALIN ATKINS

No one facet in the energy industry or technology can be taken in isolation; our system is extraordinarily complex and dynamic, and impacted by short term political and economic disruptions.

Last October Atkins produced ‘The Road to Decarbonisation’, where we considered the near-term priorities, major trends and considerations, and the final destination of net zero carbon emissions. The pressures for action on climate change have increased further during 2019 and the release of the Committee for Climate Change’s report on a net zero system provides a ‘proof of concept’ scenario.

Working across the energy, transportation and infrastructure sectors, we understand the opportunities and challenges in achieving a zero emissions system. It will require a build rate on a scale previously unseen, industries to collaborate and work together who have never done so before, and the design and management of an energy system of far greater complexity than that managed today.

In our latest report, ‘Engineering Net Zero’, we focus on major capital projects, the technologies to be engineered and deployed, their current state of readiness and development required, necessary deployment and construction rates, and the principal technical and commercial risks that could prevent us achieving net zero in the UK by 2050 and supporting other global economies to do so.

We believe that a Net Zero system is achievable but that the risk in achieving such a system is high without appropriate action taken today. As technologies develop and pilot projects improve, it will be critical that we take a flexible approach to the ultimate system configuration; it is highly unlikely to be the same as scenarios currently being proposed.

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Another critical element is the role of an Energy System Architect, to orchestrate such a complex, smartly run and, in all probability, narrow capacity margin system for energy, infrastructure (industry and domestic heat) and transportation.

The major components of a net zero system - nuclear, renewables (primarily offshore wind) and CCGT with CCUS − each present different opportunities and challenges, not merely their required build rates. To achieve the system desired for the future, all must be pursued now.

Hydrogen has great potential across all sectors in providing energy balancing and decarbonisation, and some fundamental challenges to be assessed across manufacture, storage, distribution, conversion costs, efficiencies and usage.

A f lexible and resilient system will require electrical energy storage mechanisms. The debate surrounding these must be refocussed on the technologies available to us today, the likelihood of these being deployable in the very near future, and at what scale. There are limitations to what such systems can achieve in terms for grid scale services to balance variable generation beyond periods of seconds.

Net Zero in 2050 may be theoretically feasible and highly desirable but a pragmatic assessment, based on engineering and major project development experience, is that the risk of falling short is very high.

The single most important change is a rapid, wellcoordinated programme across government to focus research on key technologies, mandate system changes, intervene in markets where necessary and cover the risks that the private sector cannot bear. Ultimately, the risk of failure is a societal risk that can only be borne by government.

CGN is the world’s largest developer and builder of new nuclear power stations.

We have 24.3GW of capacity in operation and 7.43GW, in 6 units, under construction.

In the UK CGN is the minority investor and industrial partner, with EDF, in Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C; and the majority investor, also alongside EDF, in Bradwell B and the project to take our HPR1000 through the GDA regulatory approval process.

We are delighted to be bringing our experience and expertise from China to this country and to be playing our part in delivering low carbon and reliable energy for the future of the UK.

@cgn_uk

info@cgnuk.co.uk Windfarm

Combining talent with knowledge

(Under construction)

Windfarm

(Under construction) Windfarm

(In operation)

Windfarm (In operation)

CGN Office

CGN Office

Investments in nuclear

(Under construction / planned) Investments in nuclear

(Under construction / planned)

Talent and experience, the perfect mix for all aspects of nuclear project delivery. We used 3D modelling to design a weather envelope across two reactor buildings at Bradwell. This led to a safe, sturdy 85m aluminium cover which only requires human inspection once every five years.

Opening opportunities with connected thinking. mottmac.com

Photo courtesy of Magnox

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IN VIEW

DRS raise £10k for charities and local causes

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irect Rail Services (DRS) has raised £10,000 for charities and local causes as part of its annual Open Day. Around 2,000 visitors attended the event, held at the firm’s Kingmoor Depot in Carlisle, which also saw the official naming of two locomotives.

The first, a 66428, was unveiled as “Carlisle Eden Mind” by David Peattie, CEO of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), in honour of the local charity which provides a vital support service to those in need.

During the unveiling, David spoke of the importance of mental health and how Carlisle Eden Mind has supported not only DRS, but the wider NDA group in mental health awareness. He was joined by Henry Barker, trustee of Carlisle Eden Mind.

The second train, a 66302, was unveiled as “Endeavour” by Natasha Hanson, Business Services Director at DRS, in honour of DRS’s close links with nuclear shipping business International Nuclear Services.

Debbie Francis, Managing Director of Direct Rail Services, said: “Not only is the Open Day a great opportunity for DRS to engage with stakeholders and celebrate the industry, but it raises a substantial amount of money for charities and local causes. I’m proud that the DRS team host this fantastic event and we very much look forward to welcoming many visitors in future years.”

Billed as one of the biggest railway events of the year, the Open Day saw visitors given the rare opportunity to see behind the scenes at the maintenance depot, find out about careers in the rail industry and learn more about DRS. Twenty DRS trains were on display and British Transport Police and Sammy the Safety Bear, from Virgin Trains, promoted railway safety, and even Border Concert Band attended to entertain visitors.

The money raised from the event will be donated via DRS’s Sponsorship & Donations Committee, which provides assistance to local communities around the sites where DRS operates.

It is hoped next year’s DRS Open Day will be held at its Gresty Bridge Depot, in Crewe.

2019 | AUTUMN — 15

Five take-aways from the Diversity & Inclusion in UK Nuclear event BY. MONICA MWANJE / MM CREATIVE SOLUTIONS & CALLUM THOMAS / THOMAS THOR ASSOCIATES

16 — AUTUMN | 2019

F

irstly, thank you to everyone involved in making the event in Manchester on 18th July possible. The event − funded by our sponsors Sellafield Ltd, UKAEA, NNL and EDF Energy HPC − was a success due to the active contribution of the diverse range of attendees, speakers and workshop leaders.

The spaces at the event were limited to 60, with others able to watch the presentations via an internet live stream. This article is for those that were not able to attend and have an interest in supporting equality, diversity and inclusion (E,D&I) in the UK nuclear industry. The following are some of the takeaways from the event:

1.

Engaging the majority is crucial

One of the workshops, delivered by Mark McBride-Wright of EqualEngineers, was on the topic of engaging the majority.

Currently it seems that it is those from minority or underrepresented groups that are leading the initiative to drive and progress E,D&I. It is understandable why members from those groups have been motivated into action before the majority, but we are now far enough along to know that an equal, diverse and inclusive workforce is beneficial for everyone. How can we shift this dynamic so that we all, especially the majority, are bought in and actively contributing? In the workshop, many practical steps that we can take were identified and shared.

This is such an important topic that we will release a dedicated article to it in September on the website www.dinuclear.com.

2.

Unconscious bias training should be available to everyone in the industry

Another of the workshops, delivered by Irene Afful from Ametrine Enterprise Solutions Professional Coaching & Consultancy, focused on unconscious bias and positions of privilege. By the very definition, this refers to biases we have picked up through our life experiences that we may not even be aware of.

A crucial point is that there is nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to unconscious bias, and that we should not be afraid to identify and recognise our own. Unconscious bias is one reason that we gravitate to hiring people like ourselves, which is a barrier to equality, diversity and inclusion as it perpetuates the majority in teams and in entire organisations.

Two actions that we can all take are to identify and recognise our own unconscious biases (Harvard has free online tests you can take implicit.harvard.edu/implicit), and to ensure that there is diversity in interviewer panels. Even upping the interview panel from one person to two people can provide an opportunity to help reduce unconscious bias impacting the selection process.

need to develop a 3. We support network The same suggestion came up from several of the attendees at the event in Manchester. It would be great if we had a way to share information, case studies, best practice and practical examples of how different people, teams and organisations are progressing with E,D&I initiatives.

This sharing could be amongst stakeholders in the UK nuclear industry and could also include input from other industries and

other countries. The sheer amount of information, and indeed information sources, is bewildering in our modern information age.

One of the actions we have taken away from the event is to look at how to gather relevant and useful information and then make it available to stakeholders in the UK nuclear industry in a way that it is easy to digest and to turn in to practical value adding activities. Watch this space…

are many aspects of 4. There identity that deserve recognition One of the many thought provoking realisations that came from the event was that there are many more aspects that make up our identities than immediately come to mind for most people.

Deborah Beveridge from EDF Energy led an excellent workshop on flexibility and dynamism in work, delving in to how flexibility in working practices can support E,D&I. For example, it was discussed how a company policy that treats those with children differently to those without children in terms of flexible working allowances is not necessarily fair. It shows that sometimes the most well meaning of policies and actions can create feelings of isolation and unfairness amongst others.

Defining every identity aspect is a significant undertaking, and nearly everyone could potentially find themselves feeling excluded in one respect or another. A good starting point is to simply put ourselves in the shoes of those around us and constantly be aware of how our actions or behaviours might make them feel. A little empathy can go a long way.

updated conference format 5. The was a success The event in Manchester was filmed and broadcasted live on the internet. The cost of doing this is a fraction of what it was even 5 years ago and made the event more inclusive and available to those that could not be there on the day.

The links to watch the videos of the presentations will be shared via our mailing distribution (email info@dinuclear.com to request). The presentations are concise, engaging and tell the stories of the presenters. They are available for people across the UK nuclear industry to watch at their leisure in the coming weeks and months.

It is clear that we need to engage with a wide audience, especially the majority, so this type of event format is a proven formula for future events. In addition, the workshops provided practical take-aways, some of which have been described in this article.

Check out the social media feeds at twitter.com/daiuknuc and linkedin.com/company/diversity-inclusion-in-uk-nuclear to see more pictures from the event and to view the practical tips we share.

This article was written by Callum Thomas and Monica Mwanje.

Any feedback, questions or suggestions are very welcome. Please send them to info@dinuclear.com.

Callum is the founder and CEO of Thomas Thor Associates (thomas-thor.com), a recruitment, executive search and HR consulting organisation dedicated exclusively to the global nuclear industry and with offices across Europe, North America and the Middle East.

Monica is the founder and Managing Director of MM Creative Solutions (mmcslimited.com), a specialist Management Consultancy providing: Bid, Business Development and Strategic Support services to organisations seeking growth in the nuclear industry.

2019 | AUTUMN — 17

New NIA Fusion Group gets off to a flying start The first meeting of the Nuclear Industry Association’s new Fusion Group was held at Culham on Wed 10 July – attracting over one hundred industry representatives to learn about fusion research in the UK. Following tours of the European JET fusion experiment and UKAEA’s RACE robotics facility, delegates heard presentations from fusion organisations in the public sector (UKAEA’s activities at Culham and ITER’s construction programme in Cadarache, France) and private sector (represented by Tokamak Energy UK and First Light Fusion) and from UK industry (Nuclear AMRC, Veolia Nuclear Solutions, Nuvia and Assystem).

The presentations made very clear the myriad of opportunities for industry in the growing fusion energy sector – leading to an upbeat and positive mood from all concerned.

UKAEA Director of Business and Innovation, Tim Bestwick, was delighted with the event, “It was great to see some many people attend – especially those from UK industry. Everyone was very excited by the significant industrial opportunities presented by the growth of UKAEA, private fusion companies and ITER. Only by working together like this will we succeed in delivering practical fusion electricity.”

NIA Chief Executive, Tom Greatrex also commented, “It was very positive to see so many NIA members recognise the importance of fusion within the nuclear industry and the real opportunities as it develops. Fusion hasn’t been given the attention and input that it deserves in the past, but we plan to change this. Now is the time to be involved in fusion.”

18 — AUTUMN | 2019

2019 | AUTUMN — 19

SNAPSHOT

The Nuclear Innovation Programme – The story so far BY. PAUL NEVITT AND ADRIAN BULL / NATIONAL NUCLEAR LABORATORY

Back in 2011, the House of Lords studied nuclear R&D and concluded: “In a few years time there will be crucial gaps in capabilities...The government’s view that the need for R&D capabilities and expertise in the future will be met without government intervention is troublingly complacent.”

Since then, we’ve seen Industrial Strategies and Sector Deals come forward, but what’s happened in the world of nuclear R&D? Well, building on the recommendations of the independent Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board, in 2017 government began to invest in civil nuclear research and innovation through the Nuclear Innovation Programme (NIP).

The NIP is a £180 million government investment across several areas, and is part of a larger £505 million investment in BEIS’s Energy Innovation Programme.

Around £50 million has been committed so far – and we anticipate more will be coming shortly.

Government objectives for the Nuclear Innovation Programme: Capability

Capacity

ecure, maintain and renew S the skills and experience will need in the future evelop the capacity and D credibility of the UK supply chain to support critical programmes and leverage commercial benefit

Costs

Seek to reduce the costs of the future nuclear life cycle

Collaboration

I ncrease engagement with key international partnerships and seek to leverage synergies

Since the launch of the NIP in 2017, NNL has been involved in all six themes, including leading in the Future Fuels, Recycling and Strategic Toolkit areas.

Some of the benefits we’ve seen from our involvement so far include: →→ Over £15 million coming into NNL (mostly

in areas where we’re the lead body)

SPONSORSHIP niauk.org/event-listing/annual-dinner-2019 TABLE BOOKINGS nuclearinst.com/events

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→→ We’ve worked with over 30 organisations

in delivering innovation, including academic institutions and SMEs.

→→ International engagement and

collaboration with 28 organisations across 13 countries.

→→ Over 20 presentations representing the

UK at international conferences

→→ NIP funding has enabled us to participate

actively in international programmes totaling more than £100 million.

→→ Over 15,000 man hours of work on the

Recycle programme (almost half for early career workers), developing a new “subject matter expert”.

Government’s investment in the nuclear sector through the NIP is a fantastic opportunity for organisations to get involved in work which is at the cutting edge of innovation or underpinning critical at-risk skills.

A fantastic time to be working in nuclear innovation but there’s still lots to do to maximise the opportunity in front of us!

Geological Disposal Working with Communities BY. DUNCAN FLINT / RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

D

espite the all-consuming preparations for Brexit, progress on other work of national interest is welcome.

At the turn of the year, governments in Westminster and Cardiff respectively published policies on delivery of a permanent solution for managing our radioactive waste. The publication of these new policies1 triggered a renewed search for a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) site.

Radioactive Waste Management (RWM), part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), is responsible for the delivery of one of the most significant, environmental protection projects ever undertaken in the UK – to find a suitable site and a willing community to host a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) which will dispose of the UK’s radioactive waste permanently.

A Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) Central to the success of this will be the consent-based siting process and community engagement. Building trust and engendering understanding are key. We have to listen, address questions and concerns and provide information in an accessible way if we are going to be successful in this long-term endeavour.

Ultimately we must secure consent by working with a community who will themselves determine if such a facility is right for them and their forward vision spanning decades into the future. RWM’s community engagement team is focused on providing these resources and the link with local communities.

Engaging with communities One of the ways we are seeking to build understanding is through engagement and dialogue with stakeholders on a variety of levels and in providing information that’s appealing, compelling and accessible.

Research to date shows public understanding of geological disposal is low. Therefore our campaign focus is about

2019 | AUTUMN — 21

Geological Disposal Facility {GDF) will be a significant piece of UK infrastructure where the majority of the facility is built between 200 and 1000 metres A underground, with a surface area of approximately one square kilometre.

addressing the basics to explain the what, why and how of geological disposal and presenting clear and accessible information about a complex topic. Understanding what is important to communities, such as the safety and health concerns, impacts and benefits are central to our communications.

To help communities understand the potential to host a site in their area, this year we published a range of material based on our National Geological Screening work2. This provides information about geology across the country and its relevance to potentially hosting a GDF. Recognising that geology may not be the most accessible of subjects in written form, we have created a series of videos, presented by some of our scientists.

These include a short clip, in the style of the daily TV weather reports, explaining the key points for each part of the country. The videos have sparked conversations with members of the public, politicians, councillors and stakeholders alike. In September we will launch three new videos focused on geological disposal, hosting a GDF and community benefits.

RWM has also conducted public consultations in England and Wales to seek feedback on the factors we will use to evaluate sites as they emerge within the siting process. Whilst the very nature of the requirements we have to meet needs to be technical and detailed, it was important to hear what people had to say to help inform the process as it moves forward.

These events provided key insights into what communities, businesses and local policy makers are thinking. RWM values

22 — AUTUMN | 2019

this input and we are now finalising the site evaluation report ready for publication this autumn.

Learning from other countries Geological disposal is the chosen solution of many countries around the world for radioactive waste management and RWM has drawn on its strong links with international partners to strengthen its expertise. Our technical and community engagement teams are heavily involved in international dialogue and specialist forums around the world.

We are also developing a programme of international visits to offer first hand opportunities for stakeholders and others to see what is being done elsewhere. Bringing to life the scientific and social issues in a practical and often fascinating way.

Many countries, particularly in Europe are ahead of the UK with their own geological disposal programmes. Sweden, France, Finland, Switzerland and the USA provide excellent examples of siting processes and working facilities at different stages of development In July, the NDA held its third stakeholder summit, which included a guest speaker, Marie Berggren3 from the potential host community for Sweden’s GDF. The work in Sweden helped to bring to life what it means to be a community engaged in this process. The Summit also featured two workshops dedicated to discussions around working with communities and hosting a GDF.

The Twittersphere BY. GEORGINA HINES

RWM staff talking at their stand to visitors at the LGA conference

Getting out on the road Over the last few months NDA and RWM have been running roadshow events showcasing new exhibition material about the GDF siting process, videos, presentations and online publications for stakeholders around the country. These roadshows have been well received and popular with audiences as a way of communicating often complex issues in an accessible and interesting way.

Given the vital role that councils will play in the process to find a willing host community, RWM is also focused on local authority engagement. In July we attended the Local Government Association Annual Conference. With over 1,400 senior council executives and councillors in attendance RWM profiled the opportunity a GDF could bring to an area.

RWM’s presence4 at a local government exhibition with the banner headline “our mission to deal with radioactive waste and how it could support economic growth” sparked many conversations amongst delegates meandering through the many council services stands.

It is still early days in the search for a suitable site and a willing host, but we know that by getting out and speaking with communities, engaging with local authorities and industry we will get closer to achieving our goals.

Twitter is full of discussion though whether these arguments are positive or not is another question. The other day during my morning scroll, one debate stood out over all of the other shouting matches that filled my feed.

A scientist by the name of Dr David Robert Grimes had gone to Twitter to voice his disappointment at a request for him to appear alongside an anti-vaxxer to discuss the reason for falling vaccination rates. He argued that this was textbook false balance, when journalists present arguments as more equal than evidence suggests.

Despite no scientific evidence to support it, the antivaccination movement has grown in recent years, leading to dangerous and potentially fatal consequences – the UK has been stripped of its measles eradicated status with WHO as of August 2019. Dr Grimes was adamant that promotion of such a movement was not only wrong but unethical journalism.

False balance has also affected the fight against climate change and the battle here is increasingly difficult.Donald Trump openly and frequently voices his denial of climate change on his personal account. My favourite Who to follow? unsubstantiated tweet Want information on nuclear from Trump has to be his and other relevant topics? claim that global warming This issue we recommend was dreamt up by China to you follow: damage US manufacturing…

Now, you may dismiss @drg1985 Trump’s tweets as non@NEI_media sensical ramblings (I sure @nadhimzahawi want to) but the impact of these claims is nothing short of extremely damaging. Trump’s personal Twitter account has nearly 64m followers – that’s almost the population of France – and, at the time of writing, he is the 12th most followed account.

Such high-profile support has seen a flurry of activity from climate change deniers, who due to increased visibility are being invited by the media to discuss with experts on whether the threat of climate change is real. Spoiler alert: it does.

With the media increasingly using Twitter as a source for stories, should we be doing more to question the moral ambiguity of giving an equal platform to unproven criticism of scientific evidence? Whatever your answer to that question, I’ve heard Twitter is a good place to debate it.

Twitter Count

Learn more about the UK’s mission to deal with radioactive waste https://geologicaldisposal.campaign.gov.uk

1] w ww.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-new-policy-todeal-with-radioactive-waste 2] w ww.gov.uk/guidance/about-national-geological-screening-ngs 3] h ttps://nda.blog.gov.uk/2019/07/19/building-a-sustainable-processwith-the-community-at-its-heart

Followers: 7,164 Tweets: 10,426

@NIAUK

@real DonaldTrump The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive. https://bit.ly/1LfUkeq

4] w ww.gov.uk/government/news/rwm-welcomes-community-leaders-atthe-lga-conference-2019

2019 | AUTUMN — 23

NEWS IN BRIEF

NSSG: ED&I in the Nuclear Sector The programme has five strategic aims: →→ Support the nuclear industry to foster a more Inclusive Culture →→ Support social inclusion and mobility through improved

In July the Nuclear Skills Strategy Group (NSSG) published a strategy report on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) in the nuclear sector.

The Strategy sees a strengthened resolve and ambition to tap into the pools of talent across UK society which are underrepresented. Importantly it builds on the existing initiatives and notable good practice that exist within the sector, as well as setting out existing professional knowledge which has been applied for assessing current ED&I maturity and developing robust and practical models for change.

The ED&I Strategy sets out a new Mission. Leading the nuclear sector to challenge the status quo, stimulate cultural change and achieve greater diversity and a more inclusive sector for all. Providing the guidance and focus to support the industry in its desire to meet the goals contained within the Government’s Nuclear Sector Deal.1

24 — AUTUMN | 2019

through continued Innovation and Growth

→→ Provide the information, tools and share best practice for

more agile and flexible ways of working

→→ Support the industry in Exciting the next Generation through

improved Attraction and Branding strategies

While the NSSG’s employer members have sponsored and supported this strategy, it is designed to be a sector-wide strategy and the NSSG recognises that it will only be effective if the principles contained within it are equally supported by the wider sector.

Through its supply chain representatives, the NSSG commits to extending the reach of this strategy as widely as possible, and the approaches outlined will be available to any nuclear sector employers.

Cavendish supports decom in Japan

By Nife - Nife’s photo, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index. php?curid=3497972

By Nife - Nife’s photo, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index. php?curid=3497972

Cavendish Nuclear announced the award of a contract by Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) to support decommissioning of the fast reactor at Monju, Japan.

The contract builds on the company’s experience of decommissioning fast reactors in the UK, passing on the lessons learned to save time and cost in decommissioning in Japan and ensure the highest levels of safety and environmental protection.

Cavendish Nuclear is part of a UK team working with JAEA that will use the skills and experience gained during the ongoing decommissioning of the fast reactors at Dounreay, which are at an advanced stage of clean-out and dismantling.

The main elements of the contract with JAEA involve the technical support for creating a lifetime plan for the decommissioning of Monju and a feasibility study into the treatment of sodium coolant from the Monju site.

Mark Rouse, president of Cavendish Nuclear in Japan said, “This is a great opportunity to showcase the talent and experience developed over many years in the UK and demonstrates how Cavendish Nuclear can support other countries to decommission their sites in a safe manner.”

To find out more about this and other projects visit www.cavendishnuclear.com.

Local Apprenticeships

→→ Provide guidance for the sector to Stay at the Cutting Edge

New to Nuclear The NIA New to Nuclear (N2N) initiative will provide a commercial and business orientated platform for professionals new to the civil nuclear industry. It will be an additional service to members targeted at professionals of any age who are new to the nuclear sector. The initiative has the objectives to: →→ Increase commercial understanding of the civil

nuclear sector →→ Stimulate business development and networking from

the grassroots of organisations

→→ Increase engagement with academia and collaboration

with professional groups both inside and outside of the civil nuclear industry

New professionals participating in N2N will be encouraged to attend NIA business group meetings and will have the opportunity to refresh and reinvigorate their networks, increase exposure of ideas from across the energy sector, and the chance to organically facilitate diversification of the civil nuclear sector.

For further information about how your organisation can be involved contact Steph Flynn (steph.flynn@arup.com ), Harvey Johson ( h.johnson@fnc.oc.uk ) or David Salter ( david.salter@cavendishnuclear.com ).

I’M RAISING £1,000 TOWARDS A NEW WHEELCHAIR

Magnox Ltd becomes a subsidiary of the NDA

Magnox Ltd has become a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) after ownership transferred from the Parent Body Organisation, Cavendish Fluor Partnership.

This follows the announcement made in July 2018 and marks a new approach to managing the UK’s 13 Magnox sites – 10 former Magnox nuclear power stations, two nuclear research sites and a hydroelectric plant.

Magnox becoming a NDA subsidiary follows a similar change made at Sellafield in 2016, where the new model is facilitating progress and providing increased value for money for the taxpayer.

NDA Chief Executive, David Peattie, said: “Today is an important day for Magnox and the NDA as we continue to find more effective and efficient ways of managing nuclear site clean-up and decommissioning. We’ve secured a very strong executive team, led by Gwen Parry-Jones, to drive progress and success across the Magnox sites.”

Gwen Parry-Jones OBE, Magnox’s new CEO, said: “This is a very exciting time for Magnox. We have some fantastic talented people and being an NDA subsidiary gives us more opportunities to work closely as part of the NDA group, share ideas and take a more f lexible approach to decommissioning the UK’s first generation of nuclear power stations.”

The beauty of being the person who puts Industry Link together is that you can shamelessly plug a fundraiser you are taking part in. On 13 October I’ll be running in the Royal Parks Half marathon to raise money towards a new wheelchair for my friend’s mother Beth.

Many years ago Beth suffered a severe spinal injury in a car collision leaving her arms and legs paralysed. She relies on a sophisticated electric wheelchair, which she can drive with just her finger, to get around.

Unfortunately, like most technology, her old chair reached the end of its lifecycle and had to be replaced, but the only options available through the NHS are not suitable. Even their best model is difficult to steer, becomes unstable on rough or wet ground and leaves Beth feeling uncomfortable on a daily basis, meaning it has become increasingly difficult for her to get out of the house and lead the independent life she wants to.

After much research the family found the only model that will meet Beth’s needs but it costs in the region of £11,000! So far they and their supporters have raised over £4,000 but still need help to fund the remainder of the cost.

Despite the challenges of her disability, Beth is an amazing mother and continues to be an inspiration to all her friends.

Over the years I’ve known the family she always made me feel welcome in her home, took an interest in what I was up to and gave me a warm smile. It would mean a lot if I could repay that kindness and raise some much-needed funds towards the wheelchair she deserves.

If you feel you could help me hit my target of £1,000 please visit my page at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/dannyp.

Any and all donations will be very much appreciated.

2019 | AUTUMN — 25

International Trade Post Brexit Opportunities

The first NIA International Group meeting was held two years ago at Burges Salmon with just over 60 attendees. Its focus was the nuclear export market, but also inward investment opportunities.

The group provides a platform for sharing knowledge and facilitating international commercial activity, supporting its members to unlock opportunities, whether in the domestic market with overseas partners or into new international markets.

The ‘international’ theme has wide interpretation covering opportunities spanning all elements of the sector. Group meetings regularly attract 100 plus attendees, and a diverse range of speakers. Involvement from the Department for International Trade ensures practical knowledge, experience and links for accessing global markets is available to ease and de-risk international trade development.

The global nuclear market undoubtedly provides significant opportunities, and the government views the sector as key in developing post Brexit international trade. Increasingly larger companies are looking to capitalise on their UK experience and develop international opportunities. It is not only those larger companies that win new business; NIA SME members also win work, for example Corporate Risk Associates in China and Korea.

For smaller companies, working with larger companies can have the dual benefits of smoothing the early stages of international business development as well as penetrating new markets. Equally, partnering an overseas company for UKbased work then working together overseas, for example in the partner’s home market, can be a relatively straightforward, lower risk, attractive proposition.

There is significant international interest in the UK nuclear programmes with strong global competition for the work generated – the recent Sellafield PPP contract awards illustrate this – and with the current sterling exchange rates, purchasing UK businesses and services particularly for US and European organisations, can provide excellent investment opportunities.

The implications of Brexit, particularly the political and economic uncertainties, have impacted UK nuclear. Combine this uncertainty with a period of change and market evolution in the decommissioning sector, and the domestic market could

26 — AUTUMN | 2019

be viewed as navigating the doldrums. There are however reasons to be cheerful.

The promising new build programme although suffering set-backs with Moorside’s cessation and the Wylfa Newydd and Oldbury projects’ suspension, does not look lost. With both Toshiba and Hitachi unable to find acceptable financing arrangements to sustain project development, in July the government issued a Regulated Asset Base (RAB) model consultation for nuclear new build projects. This model regulates private investor returns to lower financing costs, increase certainty and reduce the taxpayer/consumer burden.

The EDF Energy and CGN UK projects at Hinkley, Sizewell and Bradwell are progressing well as is the need to find new more appealing mechanisms for funding nuclear mega-projects. EDF Energy as a key stakeholder is a driving force behind the RAB model. In reality this could be a game-changer in delivering the existing projects and reviving interest in new build and the stalled projects.

Additionally, in June the government committed to net zero UK carbon emissions by 2050. A further potential game-changer as it is difficult to envisage how this target could be achieved without a constant and not insignificant nuclear generated baseload.

How that baseload is generated, whether via big nuclear or through new technologies, advanced or small modular reactors is further cause for optimism for the UK supply chain and an international collaboration opportunity.

The International Group is free and open to all NIA members.

It meets three times a year at locations across the country. The next meetings will be in Oxford on 10 October (coinciding with Nuclear Institute Central England Branch Dinner) and then in London in early 2020.

GET INVOLVED If you would like to sponsor, host or participate in a group meeting contact Stephanie on 020 7766 6651 or email stephanie.mckenna@niauk.org or contact Gareth on 07764 197 732 or email gareth.davies@daviesnuclear.co.uk

Photo by Tyler Casey on Unsplash — unsplash.com/@tylercasey

BY. GARETH DAVIES / CHAIR, NIA INTERNATIONAL GROUP

Diary of a Summer Intern...

BY. ALEX ELLICOTT / ABBOTT RISK CONSULTING

L

It has helped me plan my future career. I think it is important that internships are available, and dare I say they are good for both the student and the company and should be positively encouraged.

ike many young people, I left school, left home and went 300 miles straight to University.

Holidays were spent revising for exams, catching up with family and working to fund the next year’s studies. But this year was different – my final exams and a world of opportunity to explore – but where do you start?

After A levels in Biology, Chemistry and Maths, I decided to study something that interested me – Biomedical Science.

I had some work experience at a lavender farm and in bars, but little to provide a grounding for what I could go on to do.

A random conversation about internships early in the new year, pointed me towards the nuclear sector, and as I was planning to spend the summer with my family in Scotland, Edinburgh became a focus for that search.

I approached Abbott Risk Consulting (ARC) with a broad interest in risk management and safety, hoping to gain a few months’ experience over the summer. ARC has a reputation for developing young people and is a keen supporter of both the YGN and NDA nucleargraduate scheme.

I had limited knowledge of the nuclear sector but for a new graduate it offers a wide range of career options and disciplines, excellent opportunties for international work and an interesting and varied career.

I did not know what to expect when I turned up at ARC the first morning but I was immediately made to feel part of the team. I received a phone, and a laptop and a desk opposite Jon Baggs, the nuclear team leader. No pressure!

During my first few days I received a formal induction and a sector overview.

I was soon preparing summaries of previous projects for upcoming bid proposals, as well as summarising bid statistics in support of departmental reports. This accelerated my introduction to the types of client ARC works with as well as the services it provides and the sector generally.

Later in July, I travelled to the Glasgow office to sit in on a meeting with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. The meeting’s focus was a project involving a unique case of intermediate level waste transport and storage at a UK nuclear facility.

The experience put the absolute requirement for safety compliance into context and provided me with an introduction to the sector’s regulatory regime and regulators.

At the start of August, following safety case training, I was given the opportunity to participate in my first project. I had to prepare a hazard and operability (HAZOP) workshop study pack, scribe a HAZOP study session and subsequently produce a HAZOP report for the client.

Considering my lack of engineering knowledge, I was thrown in at the deep end. However, gaining some hands on experience with a HAZOP allowed me to put my training into practice. It also gave me a much deeper insight into the life of a consultant – my only previous experience of consultancy was in the context of university research.

Later in August I spent a week at ARC’s Manchester office, where the team provide shielding and criticality, as well as human factors and ergonomics services. I was looking forward to broadening my experience of risk management beyond safety engineering, with the other side of ARC’s nuclear business unit.

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed my time at ARC and in the nuclear sector. It has helped me plan my future career. I think it is important that internships are available, and dare I say they are good for both the student and the company and should be positively encouraged.

The experience has made me think about what I would like to do, the hardest question for anyone to answer, and equipped me to make that decision.

I am grateful to ARC and its staff for an excellent summer and experience.

2019 | AUTUMN — 27

NEW NIA MEMBERS

NOT A MEMBER? To find out about the work of NIA and benefits of membership visit www.niauk.org/about-us/ membership-benefits.

You will find more information on our business group meetings, monthly updates and our exclusive online trade directory.

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28 — AUTUMN | 2019

Castletown Law calderlead.co.uk

Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) the-mtc.org

Castletown Law is a specialist law firm providing support to energy and infrastructure sector clients.

Its dedicated team of lawyers and industry specialists have advised on nuclear projects and developments across all phases in the UK, Europe and internationally.

MTC strives to create competitive advantage for UK plc through the introduction of new technology skills, vital to establishing a UK supplier base for fusion, SMRs, AMRs and existing operations. In order to compete with existing supply chains internationally.

CERAP

Pinsent Masons LLP pinsentmasons.com

For more than 30 years, CERAP has gathered together technical and human skills in order to support its customers serenely for risk prevention and radiation protection management.

Through its subsidiaries, CERAP supports operators and manufacturers by providing engineering services (ADVANCE Engineering), calibration (ATRON Metrology) and safety training (SEFC).

Pinsent Masons is an international, full service law firm with 25 offices across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. It has a team of more than 450 partners, over 1,700 lawyers and 3,100 staff worldwide.

It has extensive experience acting across various levels of the nuclear industry and the supply chain including working for and within governments.

OPINION

PowerPolitics “WITH INCREASING FOCUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE; THE UK’S NET-ZERO CARBON COMMITMENT, AND THE GROWING RECOGNITION ON ALL SIDES THAT WE CANNOT HAVE SECURITY OF SUPPLY WITHOUT NEW NUCLEAR,INDUSTRY IS ONCE AGAIN ON THE CUSP OF ANOTHER UPTURN”

Since Boris became Prime Minister Westminster has been a whirlwind of activity, starting with the biggest cabinet reshuffle in living memory. All the key figures are now true Brexiteers, and all are committed to the UK leaving the EU on 31 October ‘do or die’.

New policy announcements emerge almost daily. But with a Government majority of just one, ‘die’ is a real possibility, and politics have rarely been more volatile.

Hysterical talk of a constitutional crisis no longer seems far-fetched, and even the Queen is reportedly concerned. Anything could happen...

Tragically I will no longer be able to comment on this exciting developing situation, because this is my last PowerPolitics column. After 40 years in the energy industry, first as a civil servant at the Department of Energy then passing through the CEGB; Nuclear Electric; British Energy and finally the NIA I am retiring from the energy scene. Making sense of developments will therefore be for my successor.

The timing of my bowing out is probably apt because events are beginning to turn full circle. When I joined the Department of Energy in the late 70s the UK had only recently joined the European Economic Community and was trying to integrate its energy policy with Europe. Now, forty years later, we are trying to do exactly the opposite. I know which I prefer!

Over that same period the nuclear industry has certainly had its ups and downs. I first became involved following

a spell as a Minister’s private secretary in the mid-eighties. In that role I got to know Lord Marshall − a larger than life figure then Chairman of the CEGB and famous for helping win the Miner’s Strike − and was invited to spend a spell at the Board.

I subsequently became Head of CEGB’s Parliamentary Section, and very soon after under some pressure when Chernobyl exploded. To provide reassurance it was important to explain the huge differences in the UK and Soviet nuclear safety regimes, and between the dangerous RBMK and much safer UK designs. Ironically these arguments are being rerun again, this time because of HBO’s Chernobyl mini-series.

Sizewell B was under construction at the time, progressing well, and anticipated to be the first of four UK PWRs in the UK. It would have led to ‘fleet build’ benefits on the French model. However just a few years down the track, following the industry’s privatisation, almost the first decision taken by the new board was that all plans for new nuclear should be put on hold to protect the share price, and the follow on three were scrapped. Given Sizewell B’s subsequent success this was a great loss to both industry and country, and a nuclear low point.

An even greater low followed in 2003 with an Energy White Paper- co-authored by two nuclear sceptic cabinet ministers – concluding a combination of renewables, energy efficiency and imported gas should drive the transition to a secure, low carbon energy economy, not nuclear.

Luckily concerns about security of supply following the cutting off of Ukraine’s gas in 2006 led Tony Blair to overturn this decision just three years later, leading to the 2008 Nuclear White Paper. This gave the go-ahead for a new generation of nuclear to be built, and an industry high that continued despite the Fukushima accident.

With the winding up of Moorside and the suspending of Wylfa the first part of 2019 has been another low, despite the huge progress being made at Hinkley.

However, with the increasing focus on climate change; the UK’s net-zero carbon commitment, and the growing recognition on all sides that we cannot have security of supply without new nuclear the industry is once again on the cusp of another upturn, and this time it will last.

With the possible exception of my few appearances before the Select Committee I have loved every minute of my time in the nuclear industry and would like to have been part of this new dawn.

What I will miss most however will be the fantastic group of people I have worked with, both here at the NIA, and in the industry more generally.

PETER HASLAM Head of Policy, NIA

2019 | AUTUMN — 29

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