Industry Link – Spring 2021

MAGAZINE OF THE UK NUCLEAR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION SPRING / 2021

NIAUK.ORG

8 New orbit for nuclear know-how

WHY VIRGIN HYPERLOOP AND NUCLEAR ARE NOT 16 SO DIFFERENT

Hydrogen Roadmap

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ALLERDALE: THE 7 SEARCH FOR A GDF

INFRASTRUCTURE MINING & METALS NUCLEAR, SECURITY & ENVIRONMENTAL OIL, GAS & CHEMICALS

Partnering Today for a Greener Tomorrow

Plant Vogtle Units 3&4 | Waynesboro, Georgia USA

Natrium Advanced Reactor | TBD, USA

Discover more at bechtel.com

Discover more at bechtel.com

Versatile Test Reactor | Idaho National Laboratory, USA

Welcome to the first Industry Link edition of 2021! So much has changed over the past 12 months, but some things have remained a constant, including our generating fleet, which, without fuss or fanfare, helped keep the lights on this winter. And long may that continue.

It has already been a busy start to the year, propelled into action by the longawaited Energy White Paper and its confirmation of nuclear’s essential role in the UK’s net zero vision. The scale of ambition for new nuclear was plain for all to see and is examined in closer detail within these pages.

2021 promises to be an exciting year for the industry, and the contributions in this edition reflect that. From the publication of our Hydrogen Roadmap and our members’ key role in cutting-edge robotics innovation, to the decommissioning sector’s future plans, and the unexpected creation of a virtual community for those who are new in the industry. Ensuring nuclear has a strong representation at COP26 is also discussed, echoing the need for us all to capitalise on the opportunities that will undoubtedly arise from such an important global event.

You are also probably wondering who I am. As the newest member of the NIA team, it is my job to ensure the case for nuclear continues to be featured prominently across the media landscape, and as we edge closer to COP, expect the coverage to ramp up even more.

Iolo James, Media & Communications Manager, Editor IN THIS ISSUE...

REFLECTIONS ON THE ENERGY WHITE PAPER PAGE 4

IN VIEW

PAGE 12

PAGE 18

UNEXPECTED INNOVATION, VITAL VALUE PAGE 10

IN CONVERSATION: DAVID PEATTIE

Follow us: @NIAUK

Editor - Iolo James Art Editor - Dan Powney Contributors - Lincoln Hill, Ieuan Williams, Stephanie McKenna, Jocelyn MannersArmstrong – Allerdale GDF, Kevin Mottershead – Jacobs, Nigel Fletcher – Osprey Group, James Barker – University of Bristol, Julianne Antrobus, Connor Deehan & Graham Cookman – PA Consulting, David Peattie – NDA, Neal Cooper, Beth Wisely – Magnox Ltd, with additional thanks to World Nuclear News

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Cover image: Courtesy of Osprey Group - https://osprey.group This magazine is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper, using vegetable based inks.

BY. LINCOLN HILL / DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

We know deep decarbonisation will require more than zero-carbon electricity, and hydrogen has been identified as one vector to help areas like home heating and industrial processes shake their dependency on fossil fuels.

The Government has set a target of 5 GW of clean hydrogen capacity by 2030, or 42 TWh of generation, and the CCC has estimated that the UK could need up to 225 TWh of clean hydrogen by 2050.

The challenge is that almost none of that capacity exists yet.

The vast majority of hydrogen produced in the UK comes from steam methane reformation, which produces 10 kilograms of carbon dioxide for every kilogram of hydrogen. It is clearly not a solution for a net zero world.

Our pitch was that making clean hydrogen requires power and heat, and nuclear gives us that in spades. Nuclear reactors of all types can drive electrolysis, running a current through water to split it into hydrogen and oxygen, the most basic way to make clean hydrogen. Analysis from the Hydrogen to Heysham project indicated that nuclear-driven electrolysis would have a fraction of the carbon footprint of steam methane reformation, even with carbon capture and storage technology.

Steam electrolysis, which takes places at higher temperatures, could utilise heat from reactors to produce hydrogen more efficiently. In fact, the team at EDF have developed plans to use the clean power from Sizewell B to produce hydrogen for vehicles used in the construction of Sizewell C, thus reducing the carbon footprint of the new project. This is just one example of integrated thinking in the nuclear industry about how we can deliver decarbonisation across a range of sectors.

We also know that electrolysis works better when the supply of power is consistent, and that is a nuclear power speciality. The firm power both large and small reactors provide would then add an extra level of efficiency to green hydrogen production.

Nuclear innovation also promises further potential in the hydrogen sphere. Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) under development could operate at temperatures of 600-900°, high enough in the presence of chemical catalysts to split water into hydrogen and oxygen without electricity. The Government itself has acknowledged this in the Ten Point

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Plan, noting that “the high-grade heat could unlock efficient production of hydrogen.” AMRs in this case could produce clean hydrogen and clean power simultaneously.

This robust suite of technologies means that nuclear can contribute now and in the future. Our roadmap estimated that 12-13 GW of dedicated capacity, could supply up to 75 TWh of green hydrogen by 2050, one-third of the overall requirement.

But what do we need to do to get there? The key obstacle is cost. Green hydrogen is currently not cost competitive with hydrogen produced from steam methane reformation. Cutting the cost of nuclear hydrogen specifically starts with financing.

The biggest cost element of nuclear hydrogen would be the cost of electricity for electrolysis, and the biggest element of the electricity cost is the cost of financing. That will require a firm decision from the Government on how it will finance future nuclear projects of all reactor types.

After financing, carbon pricing is another key element.

Hydrogen from fossil fuels has a cost edge in part because its carbon emissions are not adequately priced. Internalising the cost of carbon in steam methane reformation will go a long way toward levelling the playing field, and incentivising green hydrogen production.

In our roadmap, we recommended strengthening this incentive structure through grants for electrolyser R&D and for the installation of electrolysers at zero-carbon generators, including nuclear. Cutting capital costs and raising operational efficiency here should greatly augment nuclear-hydrogen price competitiveness.

Looking beyond immediate solutions around electrolysis, we also believe that five-year funding timelines for AMR development will provide the certainty and direction needed to bring the reactor swiftly to the demonstrator stage by the early 2030s,as the Government has targeted.

If we take a step back, green hydrogen, like clean power, requires a strong mix of low-carbon technologies. We are not asking for nuclear to be the only solution, but for nuclear to play its part alongside renewable sources. In simple terms, we’ll need a lot of green hydrogen for net zero, and we have virtually none today. To get the green hydrogen, we need capacity, heat and power. To get it, we need nuclear.

Hydrogen production methods

Nuclear-hydrogen Nuclear-hydrogen can contribute to from electrolysis

2021 | SPRING — 3

Introduction

ENERGY WHITE PAPER

Powering our Net Zero Future December 2020 | CP 337

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ollowing on from the Ten Point Plan and the National Infrastructure F Strategy, the Energy White Paper provides further clarity on the Prime Minister’s measures and puts in place a strategy for the wider energy system—https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/ uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/945899/201216_ BEIS_EWP_Command_Paper_Accessible.pdf

Reflection on the Energy White Paper BY. IEUAN WILLIAMS / HEAD OF POLICY & PUBLIC AFFAIRS

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I’ve been on record multiple times over the past two years about the Energy White Paper, what to expect and when to expect it. So much so, at one point I promised I would write a retrospective of the journey we’ve been on together, so in full Kenan & Kel style, here it goes…

On 17 January 2019, Hitachi announced it would be suspending activities at Wylfa. Given the magnitude of this announcement, the then Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark, made a statement to the House of Commons.

Towards the end of his 8-minute speech Clark said, “I will set out a new approach to financing new nuclear in the planned energy White Paper in the summer.”

By the time this White Paper was actually published, we were on our third BEIS Secretary, and fourth Minister with specific responsibility for nuclear. However, it still didn’t contain a new approach to financing new nuclear.

This isn’t to say Greg Clark didn’t try to stay true to his word. In the dying days of Theresa May’s Government, Clark was one of the last guys left in the building, with many of his Cabinet colleagues resigning in protest of the hard Brexit the incoming Prime Minister was set to adopt.

Instead of making a similar stand, Clark sacrificed his opportunity to fall on his sword, rather opting to try and push out the Energy White Paper before his inevitable sacking. This wasn’t to be, and in its place there was a hastily organised roundtable with a flurry of invitations sent to senior figures across business and industry.

Unsurprisingly, it’s pretty hard to get a global CEO to a meeting in Whitehall with a day’s notice, so instead the attendance was predominantly director-level and middlemanagement representatives, with the contents of the meeting being immediately leaked to the Times of London.

This also emphasises how far we’ve come since the summer of 2019, today joining on Zoom would have probably been a perfectly acceptable solution.

Shortly after this meeting, a large number of documents and consultations were published on the BEIS department’s website. This exemplified how intent Clark was on publishing the White Paper, as you only usually see this much activity when there’s a major policy statement.

Consequently, we were just left with an Energy White Paper-shaped gap, and two days later a new BEIS Secretary.

Within two months, Clark had the whip removed from him

by Boris Johnson for rebelling on a vote in an attempt to prevent a no-deal Brexit. Politics is a strange, strange game.

Amongst this tranche of consultations, however, was a little gem we had been patiently expecting for a long time, the “Regulated Asset Base model for nuclear”.

Although convention dictates that these consultations be open for three months and are then responded to by government in another three, at that precise moment there was a Cabinet Reshuff le and a month later the UK went into a national lockdown.

While Covid certainly slowed things down, there wasn’t total policy paralysis; the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan, the National Infrastructure Strategy, and Government’s response

MEDIA WATCH NEWS

BY. IOLO JAMES / MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

to the National Infrastructure Commission’s Assessment all contained crucial lines of support for the nuclear industry.

Having worked at the NIA for nearly 3 years, these documents contained some of the most encouraging language I’d ever seen come from the Government and were even so detailed as to recognise the potential of advanced nuclear technologies in producing hydrogen.

Nevertheless, a lot still rested on the Energy White Paper to state the extent to which the Government thought nuclear should play a role in reaching net zero.

By this point, promises and rumours of the Energy White Paper being published had become predictably unreliable.

When something has happened far too many times before, it’s hard to not immediately dismiss the next purported date.

Then, in the last week before Parliament’s Christmas recess, it happened. A paper whose genesis was older than net zero itself, and had seen countless drafts, redrafts and amendments, was finally published.

So, what was the content like? As is usual for such policy announcements, it wasn’t just the White Paper which was published. Alongside was a detailed system modelling paper and, a bit unexpectedly, the Government’s response to the RAB consultation.

Interestingly, despite the White Paper covering a wide range of energy issues, the news of the day was predominantly on the nuclear content, with a lot of the coverage being fairly balanced. This was also to be expected given the modelling paper had incredibly positive content on nuclear when it came to direct comparisons with Gas CCS, and scenarios which required up to 40GW of installed nuclear capacity.

Considering our own report, Forty by ’50: The Nuclear Roadmap, only went as far to recommend 33GW for electricity, this was exciting to see. Even some of the more moderate scenarios required a doubling or even tripling of today’s installed capacity, and there was a commitment that “at least one” GW-scale nuclear project would reach final investment decision in this Parliament. However, when you look at the scale of ambition for new nuclear, the phrase “at least one” is doing some heavy lifting.

Other slightly questionable conclusions from the White Paper scenarios included the “minimum firm power” pathway, that needs 120GW of installed solar capacity, which, depending on who you talk to, would require something in the region of 300,000 to 600,000 acres of land. That’s not quite the size of Wales but can be measured in West Sussexes. It just so happens that this scenario was also one of the most expensive options.

On the same day, the Government also announced it was to begin advanced negotiations with EDF on Sizewell C, and while the RAB response document contained very little in the way of firm conclusions on finance, we know that this will be one of the main topics of those discussions.

There we have it, you wait three years for positive nuclear policy, and then five papers come along at once. Oh, and don’t worry about poor Greg Clark, once he swallowed his pride on Brexit, he was readmitted to the Party just in time for the December 2019 General Election and is now Chair of the Commons Science and Technology Select Committee.

I’m not normally in the business of modifying magazine columns for my own benefit, but that is exactly what I’m doing in this edition, and this edition only. As the newest member of the NIA team, I figured that for you to give credence to these words, you should at least know who wrote them.

When I joined the team back in late January the number of staff ‘with very Welsh names’ doubled—having Ieuan Williams in the ranks was only the beginning it seems—and although I’m still known as ‘Mr James’ in some quarters of the virtual office, it’s been a real joy getting to know my new colleagues, and the small number of members that I have had a pleasure of meeting so far.

Ensuring that work is seen, heard, and read about is now my focus. Back in the middle of December I was sat in the BBC newsroom, my office for the past seven years, when the Energy White Paper was published. The paper’s nuclear angle, coupled with an update on Government talks over Sizewell C, became the main media focus, with the NIA’s Chief Executive Tom Greatrex quoted in The Times and BBC News Online to name just a few.

Seeing first-hand the NIA’s strong media presence, not only in promoting the industry, but also our members, was galvanizing.

But there is, without doubt, more to do.

As we edge closer towards COP26, interest from broadcasters and papers alike will only grow. Here at the NIA, we’ll continue to shape the narrative about nuclear’s role in curbing emissions and creating jobs. We have already been busy in 2021 finding new angles, ensuring our core messages about nuclear remain relevant and seen by as many people as possible.

There was the Sunday Times two page spread in January, for example, which asked the question “how will we keep the lights on without [the nuclear fleet]?” Tom featured prominently, explaining the volatility of the power system when renewables struggled and emphasising that without new nuclear capacity the net zero dream will remain just that, a dream.

Indeed, Britain’s fossil fuel use soared this winter, giving us the perfect platform to release our analysis of the 2020 grid data, showing us which British regions were meeting 2030 decarbonisation targets. It received a prominent write up in Bloomberg News as well as several regional publications.

Bloomberg also covered our Hydrogen Roadmap, which detailed how large-scale reactors and SMRs could produce green hydrogen, a key component in the net zero journey.

If you follow our social media channels, you will have seen these stories feature prominently, and we aim to further strengthen our voice on Twitter and LinkedIn. Collaborating with, and offering support to, our members is a key aspect of the work we do on these platforms, so please let me know if you think we can help in any way.

As 2021 rolls on, expect to hear a lot more from the NIA, on screen or in the papers. But for now, that’s all from me. If our paths have yet to cross, then please get in touch…even if you are just curious about how to say my name.

And, by the way, the Media Watch column will return to its former style next time. I promise.

iolo.james@niauk.org

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Compensation agreed for nuclear phaseout Germany has reached an agreement on compensation of almost EUR2.5 billion for the forced premature closure of nuclear reactors.

Following the accident at Fukushima, the government decided it would phase out its use of nuclear power by the end of 2022. Eight units were closed down immediately and since then, numerous lawsuits have been filed by the utilities calling for compensation for the early closure of their plants.

Prior to the accident, Germany was getting around a quarter of its electricity from 17 nuclear reactors operated by the four utilities.

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GE Hitachi (GEH) and Fermi Energia extend SMR cooperation GEH has entered into a teaming agreement with Fermi Energia to support the potential deployment of its BWRX-300 small modular reactor in Estonia, building on an MOU from 2019.

It is to support Fermi Energia in licensing, human resources and supply chain development, as well as the continued

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development of the information and analysis needed for potential deployment of this SMR design in Estonia.

GEH believes the BWRX-300, a 300 MWe water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems, is an ideal solution for Estonia’s carbon-free energy needs.

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He went on to say nuclear safety “is the key to nuclear power’s expansion.

And thus it is the key to nuclear meeting its biggest promise of all—the ability to help stabilise the climate while allowing economies and societies to thrive, fuelled by safe, stable and sustainable carbonfree energy.”

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Safety bolstered since Fukushima accident

Exelon splits utility and generation units

The 2011 accident at Fukushima Daiichi “galvanised the international community,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has said, outlining the work the IAEA and its Member States have done to strengthen nuclear safety in the ten years since the accident.

Within a few days of the accident, the IAEA sent a team of experts to Japan to help engineers assess the damage, and has continued to assist the country over the past decade, putting in thousands of man-hours and compiling thousands of pages of data and knowledge.

Grossi said the IAEA has built a single platform that promotes clear nuclear safety practices for existing sites and those being developed and constructed.

“Our work has not only led to concrete improvements in the safety of nuclear sites; it has created a sustained and robust global safety culture.

Exelon plans to separate its utility and competitive energy businesses into two publicly traded companies, creating the USA’s biggest fully regulated transmission and distribution utility, as well as its largest carbon-free power producer.

Exelon’s electricity and gas utilities will become part of the future RemainCo, while the parent company for Exelon’s generation assets, including over 18,700 MW of capacity from 21 reactors will be called SpinCo. SpinCo will be the largest supplier of clean energy across the continental USA, Exelon said, producing about 12% of the country’s carbon-free energy. As well as operating the nation’s largest fleet of nuclear plants, it also operates some 12,000 MWe of hydroelectric, wind, solar, natural gas and oil generation assets, providing a mix of baseload, intermediate and peak power generation.

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

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Allerdale: The search for a GDF BY. JOCELYN MANNERS-ARMSTRONG ⁄ INDEPENDENT CHAIR, ALLERDALE GDF WORKING GROUP

Most of the UK’s higher-activity radioactive waste is already stored in West Cumbria, at Sellafield, a legacy of the site’s unique role in our country’s nuclear history.

Our relationship with the nuclear industry dates back to the 1940s when Sellafield began its operations. Although the site sits in Copeland, the constituency adjacent to Allerdale, also plays a key part in the wider regional economy, providing employment for thousands of our residents and contract work for many Allerdale businesses. It’s vitally important, therefore, that we start discussions with the people of Allerdale and Radioactive Waste Management (RWM) as part of the task of finding a location for a permanent repository to take the waste, most of which is already in West Cumbria.

We understand the logic of transferring waste from aboveground stores that will always require maintenance, repair, and eventual replacement, to a facility that will remain undisturbed for many thousands of years, until it no longer represents a hazard. International scientific consensus endorses deep geological disposal and other countries are taking the same approach, including Sweden, Finland, France, Canada, Switzerland, as well as many others.

RWM is looking to secure consent from a willing community with a suitable site. This reflects the government’s 2018 Working with Communities policy which replaces an earlier process which was halted eight years ago when one of the local councils involved decided not to proceed.

We formed the Allerdale GDF Working Group earlier this year to begin a constructive conversation with the community about the possibility of hosting a deep geological disposal facility (GDF).

The Group is made up of a local business, Genr8 North Ltd, Allerdale Borough Council and RWM. We remain neutral on whether a GDF should be located in Allerdale. Our aim is to listen to local voices, help present the facts, answer questions and, in line with government policy, identify an area or areas where potential searches could be carried out. And like Copeland, where the first GDF Working Group was established, we have preexcluded the Lake District National Park from this search area.

Despite Covid restrictions, we are already using online channels to help understand local views, and in time, we will organise events where we hope to meet people face to face.

If there is a will to proceed, the next step is to set up a more enduring and formalised Community Partnership, which will

have a wider range of members and attract annual community investment funding of up to £1 million.

This is a tangible benefit ahead of and without any commitment to host a GDF, and an operational GDF could also contribute further employment, skills, community projects and infrastructure improvements, adding to the nuclear expertise already here.

Ultimately, any site will be subject to comprehensive investigations before it is confirmed as suitable, and then a test of public support will allow the potential host community to make a final decision.

The invitation to begin talks on hosting a GDF – without commitment - remains open, and in any part of England or Wales.

We are conscious that other parts of the country could also step forward: we would welcome a broader debate about this hugely important issue, and a higher national profile. In scale, it will rival the Channel Tunnel, Crossrail and other nationally significant infrastructure projects with the operation of a GDF destined to last for many generations.

Underpinning the public engagement process, which will stretch for a number of years, a significant amount of research and preparatory technical work has already been carried out both in the UK and internationally, to enable the development of design concepts and generic safety features. This is ongoing and can only be refined once prospective sites are identified.

The generic safety case provides reassurance that all the processes will be exhaustively researched, thoroughly tested, meet the most up-to-date technical standards and subject to the most stringent nuclear, safety and environmental regulations anywhere in the world.

Compared to the previous West Cumbrian discussions that ended in 2013 when our geology was claimed to be unsuitable, we also have greater confidence that there could be locations worth exploring in our region. This follows publication of the national geological screening exercise which confirms that many parts of the UK, including Cumbria, may have potential again subject to more detailed investigations.

Please join the debate and find out more at our Allerdale Working in Partnership website https://allerdale.workinginpartnership.org.uk

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New orbit for nuclear know-how

BY. KEVIN MOTTERSHEAD ⁄ MANAGING CONSULTANT, JACOBS

TECHNIQUES USED TO TEST POWER REACTOR COMPONENTS COULD AID SPACE EXPLORATION

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hen a spacecraft embarks on a 30 year mission to the outer galaxy, how can we assess whether it is capable of surviving the harsh conditions it will encounter?

One possible answer is by tapping into the accumulated materials science knowledge of the nuclear industry.

After all, some components in nuclear power plants might as well be in outer space—radioactivity inside a reactor pressure vessel makes them completely inaccessible to humans.

So, for decades scientists have been carrying out tests to track and predict the performance of the materials those components are made of.

The nuclear industry invests heavily in understanding the structural integrity, reliability and longevity of such components —now and decades into the future—as this information is a vital input in any decisions about plant life extension, dealing with emergent issues, and next generation design choices.

The evidence to support these decisions can come from available literature, test evidence and/or modelling, but it is often impossible for accumulated evidence to provide a reliable projection far enough into the future.

Jacobs’ Materials Science and Structural Integrity (MSSI) laboratories in Warrington have been addressing these needs for nuclear power plants

and other sectors since the 1960s.

One of the keys to MSSI’s approach is known as mechanistic understanding —a process which enables us to take the empirical evidence from laboratory tests and observations and extrapolate the results many years into the future.

Laboratory exposures are necessarily limited to practical timescales which, although significant, can never equate to the many years that a component will be exposed to the conditions inside a reactor core.

Mechanistic understanding is vital for extrapolating behaviour over longer timescales because it is based on an understanding of the actual processes which cause degradation in the material.

For example, Zircaloy fuel cladding, which is widely used in nuclear reactors, is affected by corrosion under conditions inside light water reactors. This corrosion is known to develop non-linearly, with high and low rates of progress interspersed.

The transitions between these rates of progress have been observed in laboratories but mechanistic understanding has helped us pinpoint why these transitions occur and how to manage them.

Mechanistic understanding also proved crucial when Jacobs was called on to assist a client when a nuclear power plant was shut down, due to an emergent issue with its pressurized water reactor.

Our judgement about material degradation mechanisms meant that we were able to justify the safety case for continued operations. We were able to remove any uncertainty by setting up test programmes to generate data supporting continued longer-term operation.

They showed that there was a high certainty that the degradation mechanism hypothesized as possible on plant was very unlikely to happen in practice.

Jacobs is leading the INCEFA-SCALE research programme, funded by the European Commission, where mechanistic understanding is being used to advance our knowledge of environmentally assisted fatigue.

This will be key to removing many uncertainties which can currently lead to closure for a nuclear power reactor, even though it is still safe to operate and economically viable.

This programme has already been widely applauded internationally as an important development to allow better extrapolation of laboratory data to real plant situations.

The mechanistic understanding approach has proved its value in the nuclear industry and we believe it has significantly wider applicability. We are already looking at how it can be used on materials performance in probes, satellites and other structures designed for long periods in outer space.

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Unexpected Innovation, Vital Value BY. NIGEL FLETCHER ⁄ CEO, OSPREY GROUP

INNOVATION COMES IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES. IF THE CUSTOMS PAPERWORK IS WRONG ON AN ASSET WORTH MILLIONS, THEN THE CLIENT’S CASHFLOW WILL SUFFER. THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO CAN PROFIT FROM THAT SITUATION ARE AUDITORS.

The UK’s civil nuclear industry gets encouragement from the highest levels to invest in new methods of manufacture and greater use of data, but there is another type of innovation that is sometimes lost in the mix. It involves harnessing the talents of experienced contractors by giving them a seat at the table as consultants—as is being demonstrated at Hinkley Point C. When the Government published its last iteration of a Nuclear Industrial Strategy in 2013, it focused on a perception of innovation that clearly prioritised hard deliverables. Support was promised for those locations that would “work with manufacturers to gain clarity and knowledge on nuclear codes and standards, helping them to meet the demanding requirements of this industry.”

In the same vein, the Nuclear Sector Deal section of the 2018 Industrial Strategy viewed innovation through the same lens: “…design an innovative programme of advanced manufacturing to drive advances in UK capability that reduce costs”, and “a new framework to support development and deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) and the innovative technologies that support them.”

I am an advocate for changing the industry’s opinion of innovation. The nuclear industry will benefit from support and investment in innovative hard technologies of course; more efficient and more climate-conscious components are the goal.

We provide a shared services logistics model at Hinkley Point C, where our team manages all the specialist movements for the site’s major critical assets. We’re seeing those advances in technology as we bring in large critical components that often weigh hundreds and hundreds of tonnes each.

Our role at Hinkley, however, does not mean we are only responsible for having an inventory of barges, skids, or large cranes to hand. It means we are committed to fostering a certain amount of culture change and to nurturing collaboration among overseas’ suppliers, some of whom just aren’t used to shipping their products around the world on a daily basis.

Our view of innovation bangs the drum for specialist, experienced contractors across the industry to be given a seat at the table as consultants—even if the word ‘consultancy’ is unpalatable sometimes—where we can mitigate all kinds of risks. That includes everything from practical decision-making to paperwork and, ultimately, profit margins.

It is an unusual take on innovation. Manufacturers focus on building components with the right tolerances and the right build quality. At this scale, they may only ship a handful of those assets every year, so their exposure to the international supply chain is minimal. It’s true, many overseas constructors do know how to export—but very few know how to import into the UK. Put simply, they do not have the physical presence here.

What does a good shipping price look like? Which agencies

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offer value beyond the cost of actual shipping? What are the sensible, practical Incoterms for this purchase? What impact will its arrival on site have on the other construction activity?

At the precise moment those components leave the factory, all the risks and variables of transport come into play, and those risks must sit with someone. At the most practical level, someone has to provide an insurance policy for them and control the schedule.

Because we have the experience offshore and on with our own fleet, we can step in to mitigate that risk from the threshold of the factory floor—organising the lift onto heavy goods’ transport there, if necessary—down to a dock, out to sea, across several time zones, and into a port here in the UK. In an instant, we can reduce the risks associated with third parties that aren’t invested in an end-clients’ complex and time sensitive construction programme. But that idea of endto-end specialist logistics’ is only half the story.

Just as much as they need innovation port-side, what programmes of this magnitude and importance need is innovation behind the scenes. The less visible side of things. The programme elements that never win awards. Now more than ever, paperwork has become a lens through which supply chain logistics can deliver enormous up-stream rewards. That includes document control, lift plans, statutory declarations and permits, and more.

By having a seat at the table as a consultant—providers of expert opinions, analysis and recommendations—specialists can pre-empt many, if not all, of the problems that arise from paperwork connected to shipping components worth millions of pounds each.

The physical shipment of any critical assets that are worth this much money has a tangible impact on any client’s bottom line.

There are consequential, huge risks involved in getting customs entries done correctly, having the right details, knowing which systems’ details need to match and how. That all culminates in the client being in control—or not—of the cashflow they’ll need to pay enormous VAT bills on receipt of their assets.

The impact of getting this wrong is hard to put into words, the numbers are so big. If an uninvested third-party supplier gets the customs paperwork wrong on an asset worth millions then, inevitably, the client’s cashflow will suffer. The only people who can profit from that situation are auditors.

Real innovation involves owning the risk of a schedule from start to finish—customs paperwork included— and making sure the programme plan has a commitment to involve specialist contractors as end-to-end supply-chain consultants. Granted, it’s not award-winning innovation, but it can be the difference between being on time and on budget, having to explain why a programme is late and why consequential costs are spiralling out of control.

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IN VIEW

New R&D facility enabling step-change in nuclear robotics BY. JAMES BARKER / UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL

T

he challenge of managing Britain’s nuclear waste, whilst, at the same time, ensuring there is no risk to humans is being tackled by the new National Nuclear User Facility for Hot Robotics (NNUF-HR).

The four Hot Robotics facilities, managed by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL), the University of Manchester and the University of Bristol, will provide cutting-edge equipment for active deployment in extreme and challenging nuclear environments.

Companies in the nuclear sector with decommissioning challenges, as well as organisations outside the sector with expertise in robotics, are encouraged to use the facilities.

With four main facilities across the UK, NNUF-HR will enable collaboration between industry and academia, accelerating the development of capabilities in decommissioning. Industrial and academic researchers will be able to hire out equipment or use available technology onsite, which would ordinarily be out of reach for many organisations.

The facilities address this major barrier for innovative companies hoping to either break into the nuclear industry, or evolve and develop products from research and development to industry readiness.

UKAEA – RACE Facility RACE (Remote Applications in Challenging Environments) forms the primary NNUF-HR hub at the UKAEA site in Oxfordshire. Collaboration with academia and industry is facilitated

by RACE’s proximity to the Harwell Campus, AWE and a multitude of academic institutions.

A large array of robots and mock-ups are housed here, with additional functionality provided through ‘hot’ test capabilities and portable solutions.

The RACE mock-up cells simulate various activities such as process plant, waste storage and sort and segregation.

Users will be able to test industry-standard equipment such as KUKA and FANUC robots, or bring their own to use in the simulated environments.

RACE is also home to two Boston Dynamics Spot robots, one of which attracted significant international media attention when it was deployed in the Chernobyl New Safe Confinement in 2020. University of Bristol researchers augmented the quadruped robot with a specially developed radiation detection payload, demonstrating its applicability for decommissioning activities in the UK.

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Dalton Cumbrian Facility - University of Manchester.

UAV with payload - University of Bristol.

Sort and segregation KUKA - UKAEA.

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Process plant mock up robot cell - UKAEA.

NNUF-HR mockup - UKAEA.

Spot at RACE - UKAEA.

University of Bristol Fenswood Facility The University of Bristol’s Fenswood Facility in North Somerset will specialise in UAVs and mobile ground vehicles, offering 245 acres of space available for test deployments. Here users will be able to benefit from Bristol’s environmental field surveying capability, developed in some of the most radioactive locations in the world.

For example, researchers deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with customised radiation detector payloads in the Chernobyl Exclusion zone. A feature on this project appeared in the spring 2020 issue of Industry Link.

Several lightweight, fixed-wing and multi-rotor UAVs including DJI, Wingtra and Baby Shark technology will be available alongside associated payloads, cameras and VR equipment. Users will be able to test the deployment of UAVs and UGVs with a combination of payload sensors onsite.

University of Manchester Dalton Cumbrian Facility Located at the centre of the UK’s nuclear industry in West Cumbria, this facility provides mock-ups and robotic equipment to enable researchers to address nuclear decommissioning challenges.

Mock-ups include a pond, equipped with an underwater positioning system, which can be used to trial and benchmark aquatic solutions and a generic, dry facility, equipped with a Vicon positioning system that has been used to develop the CARMA system.

Robotic equipment available at the facility include submersible vehicles, underwater manipulators, various UAVs and UGVs, as well as Kinova and KUKA robots.

NNL - Workington Facility The NNL facility located in Workington, Cumbria is an offsite facility located close to the Sellafield nuclear plant. Users will have the unique opportunity to work alongside NNL’s civil nuclear operators.

Offering plant representative mock-ups of decommissioning cells, store environments and replica setups of Sellafield site active demonstrators for laser cutting, size reduction and sort

Map of National Nuclear Users Facilities.

and segregation, NNL provides 900m2 of flexible floorspace for users to develop, test, and demonstrate their robotic solutions on an industrial scale.

Users will benefit from NNL’s management of the Sellafield-led Central Robotics and AI Programme (C-RAI), as well as NNL’s experience in testing and deployment of robotics and remote engineering solutions for characterisation and plant intervention within Sellafield plants.

Examples range from small, adapted, commercially offthe-shelf Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) used typically for exploration and measurement of radiation, to robotic arms typically used for the manipulation of larger objects and controlled from a remote control desk.

National importance of nuclear robotics With all currently operating plants except Sizewell B due to reach the end of their generating life by 2030, new decommissioning opportunities will begin to appear for industry in the coming years, and NNUF-HR aims to ensure the sector has the capability to tackle these new challenges.

As Jacobs’ Kayleigh Jackson, Deputy Chair of the NNUF-HR Advisory Board, explains: “A key challenge is bridging the ‘valley of death’ between research and industrial application. This is a particular challenge for the adoption of robotics technologies in nuclear environments due to the risks associated with things going wrong. Demonstrations facilitated by the Hot Robotics initiative are a very good way of starting to bridge this gap.”

Find out more about the NNUF for Hot Robotics NNUF-HR is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to support UK academia and industry to deliver ground-breaking, impactful research in robotics and artificial intelligence.

In addition, NNUF are offering £6 million for UK Academic researchers to access equipment from the NNUF facilities for free. Calls for access to the Hot Robotics facilities, otherwise known as “application rounds”, will run quarterly on a rolling basis. Visit the project website at nnuf.ac.uk/hot-robotics for further details.

Waste storage barrel mock up - UKAEA.

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The nuclear industry is characterised by academic and scientific rigour, which is engrained in its culture, approach and knowledge of delivering results. Despite that, the industry will still face challenges as it develops advanced technologies.

However, it isn’t the only industry experiencing change. Virgin Hyperloop has developed core technologies to create BY. J ULIANNE ANTROBUS / PA CONSULTING a new mode of transport, by carrying CONNOR DEEHAN passengers in airtight pods at speeds GRAHAM COOKMAN of up to 700mph.

Traditional development, engineering and programme management methods are not suitable to deliver such complex programmes. They require not only a range of engineering approaches to be deployed in different aspects of the programme and at different stages of development, but a complex systems view of the delivery. This includes taking I into account uncertainty, people aspects, and commercial and technical integration.

Indeed, there are several key lessons the nuclear industry can learn from the Virgin Hyperloop.

Why Virgin Hyperloop and the nuclear industry are not so different

Accepting uncertainty When considering the ways in which to deliver a complex programme, such as those with novel technologies, it is important to recognise the areas of uncertainty from the outset and learn to become comfortable with ambiguity.

PA Consulting worked with the Virgin Hyperloop team to help set out a clear vision from the start and adopt an agile approach to delivery. By setting a ‘north star’ the team could navigate through the inevitable and unavoidable bumps in the road and get focused on a common goal.

Virgin Hyperloop had no real comparisons or foundation to build on, therefore the team had to expect change, and plan for it. It meant they couldn’t determine the final requirements at the beginning of the project, and therefore would have to

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measure and improve until an end target took shape. By adopting an agile, evolutionary lifecycle, the core team was able to incorporate change into the delivery.

“Some people don’t like change, but you need to embrace change if the alternative is disaster.”

Elon Musk As fusion has demonstrated in the evolution of the STEP reactor, iterative cycles and programmes are key in development of an exemplar product.

Those involved in the development and delivery of nuclear fusion projects have become comfortable with complexity by producing models and prototypes at different scales. These help to reduce risks and allow teams to learn the art of the possible.

The remaining parts of the nuclear industry should learn from this approach.

There is real value in using prototyping to identify issues and areas needing change, inform trade-off decisions, and validate the learning, which in turn inspires investor and customer confidence.

If teams can learn to understand uncertainty throughout the delivery cycle and plan how to reduce it through learning, they uncover and fix the real problems earlier and are much more likely to be delivered successfully.

People over process Accepting failure is a vital part of any major project. It is rarely down to novel technology, but more commonly due to the people involved in the process.

No instructions or conventions exist when attempting to deliver vast and complex programme, and so the focus must be on the individuals, mindsets, behaviours, and capabilities. It is essential to recruit and retain top talent, with everyone, from top to bottom aligned to one common goal.

Ensuring the customer remains at the centre of everything the organisation does it also key. The Virgin Hyperloop team’s customer focus brought additional technical complications as well as critical health and safety requirements, but the commitment to the end user allowed them to zero-in on what was necessary.

Integrate technical, commercial and business domains Implementing a programme structure that balances and integrates technical, commercial and business domains is critical. As the scale of interdependencies increased, Virgin Hyperloop recognised the need to pull together multiple disciplines to deliver at scale.

The project created a culture where the teams could collaborate on cross-domain problems by breaking down the traditional siloed structures. This guaranteed the project was optimised and worked well in a large-scale agile environment.

Another challenge facing the industry is the need to adapt its traditional business models to take advantage of economies of scale. It should move its focus from the traditional large-scale one-off projects to the delivery of individual nuclear products.

That product orientated design approach will need to be supported by a supply chain that can deliver high volume, repeatable and commoditised assets.

This will also require an understanding of the complexities of through-life system support. This is particularly important

given the length of time nuclear reactors spend in service.

However, through shifting the focus from the one-off projects to repeatable products, the nuclear industry could capitalise on reduced through-life costs and resulting improvements in commercial viability.

The combination of reduced procurement costs and the use of predictive maintenance systems such as digital twins and Industry 4.0, will also magnify the industry’s ability to deliver commercially viable systems.

Virgin Hyperloop embedded throughlife system design from, ensuring maintenance demands were reduced, intelligent monitoring systems were built in and the decommissioning and disposal of products were considered.

The nuclear industry should look to exploit these same approaches.

Stabilise in large-scale iterations Stabilising highly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous programmes in large-scale iterations is critical to ensuring progress.

This was particularly important for the Virgin Hyperloop team and will be increasingly important for the nuclear industry to build confidence – from both potential investors and future customers of advanced nuclear energy.

Building ‘stabilisation’ periods and aligning the team’s vision at regular intervals during the project helps to harmonise the programme, and provides opportunity to ensure the product remains feasible and economically viable.

Hyperloop began life as a venture capital funded start-up and relied heavily on cash-flow. It meant the team had to develop a system efficiently and at pace, whilst minimising risk to inspire investors

and as well as customer confidence. They learned that tangible demonstrations of technology were more effective than conceptual designs. People wanted to see and feel how the new system would operate.

Setting a baseline for the team and becoming comfortable with the upcoming challenges provided clarity and stability.

Scaling these demonstrations was also an important step in making the novel concept a reality.

If applied to the nuclear industry, this entrepreneurial ‘start-up’ approach could revolutionise how investment is secured and how the supply chain is mobilised.

The traditional reliance on the UK Government for a clear demand signal once the design has matured often constrains the ability to mobilise the supply chain and think long-term.

The development of new nuclear technology perhaps provides a unique opportunity to shift from a dependency on Government and seek investment from a broader range of sources.

Summary The nuclear industry needs to fundamentally change how it approaches the design and delivery of complex programmes so that new technologies can become a reality.

Virgin Hyperloop shows that there are ways to overcome complexity, and in some instances, adapt to it. There will always be complications throughout programme delivery. The real challenge, however, lies in the lack of experience in how to move from the conceptual phase through to the creation of a commercially viable product.

The successes of the Hyperloop show how problems associated with complex delivery can be addressed, and could inspire the nuclear industry to implement programmes that will shape the future of energy.

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Images courtesy of Virgin Hyperloop — https://virginhyperloop.com

“People work better when they know what the goal is and why. It is important that people look forward to coming to work in the morning and enjoy working.”

Elon Musk

C

harged with the clean-up of the UK’s 17 nuclear sites, David Peattie has spent four years at the helm of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) as Chief Executive Officer. Before that his 30-year career was spent in a number of technical, commercial and senior management positions in the oil and gas industry, with his final role as Head of BP Russia.

Speaking to Industry Link, David talks about the direction of travel for the NDA Group and his experience in heading the clean-up mission.

IN CONVERSATION ...

DAVID PEATTIE

THE NUCLEAR DECOMMISSIONING INDUSTRY HAS SEEN ITS FAIR SHARE OF CHALLENGES, BUT WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SUCCESSES OF THE NDA GROUP AND HOW HAS IT OVERCOME CHALLENGING PERIODS?

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Difficult periods hit most industries and organisations at some point, but they also present an opportunity from which we can learn and grow. There’s no more pertinent period of difficulty than the health pandemic we’ve all dealt with this last year. COVID-19 has seen some of our operations temporarily scaled back at some of our sites, but we’ve continued with the main core of our decommissioning activities safely and securely.

Despite these incredibly difficult times, I’m immensely proud of the way our organisations and employees responded to this unprecedented challenge, and supported the national and local efforts; from volunteers helping out with NHS services, to vital supplies being delivered to supermarkets by our rail subsidiary Direct Rail Services (DRS), and even the manufacture and donation of PPE to frontline health workers.

The response to the national emergency was no surprise to me.

The nuclear industry is renowned for having to find ways of overcoming challenges of decommissioning our nuclear sites. Turning challenges into achievements has seen us mark some major recent successes at the NDA group, with regards our nationally important work in cleaning up the UK’s nuclear sites.

All 26 Magnox reactors are now fuel free. Dounreay’s stock of civil separated plutonium is now safely stored at Sellafield following a phased transfer programme. At our Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR), 11,000 containers were diverted from being disposed of at the site, ultimately saving the taxpayer £2 billion.

At Sellafield, we’ve seen milestones in critical decommissioning work, such as waste retrievals from the ponds and silos, visible skyline changes as chimneys and stacks are demolished, and the creation of plants to safely store high-level waste.

How we report our important progress has been significantly improved, with the publication of our first Mission Progress Report. It provides a clear picture for people of the steps towards achieving our mission, and a system for reporting progress across the group.

How we deal with the long-term storage of radioactive waste is a critical element of our work. It’s been fantastic to see the first steps in identifying willing communities and a suitable site to host a Geological Disposal Facility, with the formation of the first independent community working groups. Our operating company, Radioactive Waste Management (RWM), is working in partnership with those communities to explore the possibility of hosting such a facility which will ensure the safe and secure disposal of higheractivity radioactive waste.

The need to deal with our waste long-term led us to form a new approach to waste management. The integrated waste management programme was created to integrate all such activities across every NDA operating company and subsidiary, from generation right through to final disposal. This will enable the whole of the nuclear industry to manage its radioactive waste in a more sustainable and integrated way. Fundamentally, it will help reduce the cost of decommissioning and clean-up, avoiding unnecessary use of resources and reduce risks and hazards on our sites sooner.

This lifecycle approach to decommissioning and waste management forms the backbone of our overarching strategy.

We’ve just launched the fourth iteration of the NDA Strategy, an evolving plan the NDA created a number of years ago. A first of its kind it set out our approach to dealing with the UK’s nuclear legacy, and gives a direction of travel in how we achieve our mission, all informed by stakeholder views.

WHAT KEY AREAS OF FOCUS ARE COMING UP FOR YOU? The next year or two will see us continuing to further strengthen, embed and capitalise on our work to build a strong NDA Group to deliver decommissioning success and taxpayer value.

Over the last 12 months we’ve taken a series of important steps to strengthen and simplify the way our group is organised. We’ve focused on working together more effectively and efficiently, harnessing the opportunities that come from our scale and breadth.

It’s the right time for the NDA to evolve. We needed to do things differently—the Magnox Inquiry highlighted the need for change.

I welcome the conclusion to the inquiry and the publication of the report by Steven Holliday. The NDA is now a much stronger organisation, operating under a very different model than at the time of the issues, which we’ve learned from.

Improvements have also been made to the way the NDA operates to provide greater focus, discipline, standardisation and simplification. In 2019 Magnox became a subsidiary of the NDA and by July all our site organisations will have followed this transition. This will help deliver our decommissioning mission more efficiently and more effectively which will benefit the taxpayer and our people.

Good progress is being made in decommissioning and reducing the hazards across the whole of the NDA Group, despite the challenging impact of the COVID situation. However, this doesn’t detract from the events highlighted by Mr Holliday. I’m grateful for his recommendations, which we’ll carefully consider before publishing a formal response later this year. We’ve already acted upon the findings that came from the Interim Report in 2017.

Aligning to this new way of operating, we recently brought our two transport companies, DRS and International Nuclear Services, together to create a leading nuclear transport and logistics organisation—Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS).

It’s now our intention to create a single waste division to bring together our group-wide waste management expertise, and will include our waste disposal companies LLWR and RWM. This new division will enable us to grow capability, simplify our operation and deliver greater value for the taxpayer.

In the spirit of bringing the group together and aligning with our new subsidiary operating model, we’ve taken important steps to revise the NDA Group’s leadership structure to maximise the

benefits of working as a group. Key to this, is the creation of a new NDA Group Leadership Team (GLT) to drive improved leadership, assurance, collaboration and transfer of learning and skills across the NDA Group. The GLT includes NDA executives, CEOs and MDs of the NDA operating companies and me. By taking a cross-group view, the GLT will benefit our mission, people, site communities and the taxpayer.

There are exciting times ahead, but our focus remains unchanged. Safety is without doubt our number one priority and it is embedded in everything we do. Our important work to promote mental health and wellbeing across the NDA Group is also vital.

Alongside that runs our commitment to push forward our culture, diversity and inclusion values at every level, to create great places to work for everyone. It’s an area I’m passionate about and I’ve seen us take significant steps to shift our workplace culture, and we’re now starting to see the importance of diversity being understood across our entire group.

We’ve made great strides in this area over the last few years.

We are now turning our attention to giving the same heightened focus on improving the way we embed sustainability into all of our operations and doing our part to support the UK’s net-zero emissions target, set out by the government in 2019. It made climate change a priority, and in support of that we’ve made carbon net-zero a priority across our operating companies.

HOW DO YOU ENGAGE PEOPLE ON THE COMPLEX CHALLENGES AND CRITICAL WORK HAPPENING WITHIN THE NDA GROUP? Our stakeholders are vitally important to us and our mission, playing such an important part in guiding our direction. Our sites are dotted across the UK, so it’s crucial that we continually engage with them and the communities in which our sites are based. Building and maintaining the trust of our stakeholders remains a priority. We regularly engage with our stakeholder groups as part of our priority for openness and transparency, encouraging feedback and engagement at every possibility.

The pandemic posed new challenges in dealing with our stakeholders, but we’ve embraced digital platforms and we’ve seen increased levels of engagement through new vehicles and channels. Relying more on digital technology has also opened us up to new audiences.

WHAT ARE YOUR HOPES FOR THE FUTURE OF THE DECOMMISSIONING INDUSTRY AND THE NDA GROUP? I have no doubt that in the future we will see a truly diverse culture and workforce, with the industry benefiting from the opportunities they bring. Diverse and innovative thinking will promote creative and efficient ways of cleaning up our sites and dealing with the long-term challenges of the UK’s nuclear legacy.

The work we’ve done to strengthen the NDA group has established a firm foundation on which we can continue to build success in the future. I think we will see that momentum continue, by reaping the benefits of the organisational and cultural improvements and the renewed stability across the NDA Group.

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NEWS IN BRIEF

NDA innovation competition winners have been announced 14 successful companies have been awarded contracts to come up with innovative approaches to remotely sort and segregate radioactive waste.

The ‘Sort and Seg’ innovation competition, worth £3.9 million in total, was launched in July 2020. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)—in partnership with Magnox Ltd, Sellafield Ltd and Innovate UK—set the challenge of coming up with proposals for using autonomous technology to sort and segregate mixed radioactive wastes at the UK’s oldest nuclear sites.

The first phase of the competition is now complete and contracts, worth up to £60k each, have been awarded to 14 consortia that will now come up with feasibility studies for their proposals, including robotics, advanced sensors and artificial intelligence.

The NDA’s Head of Innovation, Sara Huntingdon, said: “The reaction to ‘Sort and Seg’ has been incredible. We’ve received the best response we’ve ever had for this kind competition. It’s really exciting that most of the successful organisations are bringing in experience and ideas from other sectors and I’m

Amentum has secured the Prototype Fast Reactor (PFR) Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) Size Reduction Facility Concept Design contract procured by Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL).

The challenge to size-reduce the PFR ILW has been met by a solution that brings project management expertise from Amentum, first-hand in-depth knowledge of the PFR ILW challenge at Dounreay and extensive experience from relevant international and domestic projects.

David Batters, Senior Vice President of Amentum in the UK said: “The concept design study will allow our highly capable team to showcase our international expertise and bring forward opportunities to present the best possible concept to our client. Work is already underway, and we continue to be fully committed to the safe decommissioning of Dounreay.”

The contract is tendered under a seven-year framework with expected scope of £400 million. Work on the project commenced in October and is scheduled to conclude by September 2021.

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really looking forward to working together with our partners and with all the winners to see how these ideas develop.

“Competitions like this are an important way of engaging our supply chain, encouraging diversity of thinking and finding innovative techniques and technologies from other sectors to help deliver the NDA’s decommissioning mission.”

Derek Allen, Innovation Lead, Energy Clean Growth and Infrastructure Lead at Innovate UK, said: “We are delighted to be working with the NDA again to help drive innovation into the nuclear decommissioning supply chain and deliver things faster, cheaper and safer.

“The response to the competition was excellent and some really exciting projects have been funded. There are some great examples of technology transfer and I look forward to seeing these innovative projects progress over the next few months.”

The initial feasibility studies will be delivered in May, with the winners competing for a number of contracts—each worth up to £900k—for 15-month ‘demonstrator projects’.

Amentum wins concept design contract with DSRL

Héctor Dominguis is the new Hydrogen Hub to boost president of the SNE decarbonisation agenda The planned Freeport East Hydrogen Hub will be one of the world’s most exciting and innovative nuclear, hydrogen, maritime and transport decarbonisation schemes.

As a pillar of the Freeport East bid, it could begin to create significant numbers of new jobs within the next 12 months and will demonstrate the UK’s Net Zero capabilities in the build-up to COP26.

At its peak, the project, which will be delivered in partnership with Ryse-Hydrogen and Sizewell C developers, EDF, will produce 1GW of hydrogen – 20% of the 5GW target in the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.

Julia Pyke, Director at Sizewell C, said: “Using reliable nuclear power from Sizewell B and C alongside renewables, Freeport East has the potential to host one of the most exciting ‘green’ hydrogen schemes in the UK. Suffolk has great opportunities to benefit from the combination of its nuclear and renewables industry, its ports, and the construction of Sizewell C using hydrogen vehicles wherever possible, to build a hydrogen economy and be at the forefront of this exciting development.”

Freeport East will generate 13,500 new jobs, investment of over £500m and provide a £5.5bn economic boost over a 10-year period.

WYG rebrands as Tetra Tech

On Thursday 4 March, the general assembly of the Spanish Nuclear Society was held remotely. Within the framework of this meeting, the election of a new board of directors took place. Héctor Dominguis, CEO of NIA member company, GD Energy Services (GDES), who until now held the position of vice-president, was appointed president of the Society.

Héctor Dominguis holds a degree in Materials Engineering from Imperial College London, an MSc in Management from Surrey University, a Master’s in Business Administration from ESADE and has also completed the Programme for Management Development at IESE Business School. Prior to joining GD Energy Services (GDES), Héctor worked as Assistant Sales Director at Plexi S.A. (Röhm Group) and as a Consultant in Estrategia y Dirección SL. In 2003, Héctor joined GDES as Director of Business Development. In 2011 he was appointed General Manager of the Group by the board of directors and in May 2012 he was appointed CEO, taking over from José Dominguis in the management of the family business.

The Spanish Nuclear Society (SNE) is a non-profit association with the status of Public Utility, founded in 1974, made up of professionals and institutions, with the objective of promoting knowledge and dissemination of nuclear science and technology.

The Society currently has around one thousand individual members and more than sixty groups. Among the former are engineers, scientists, doctors, lawyers, economists and students. Its group members consist of entities, companies and organisations, public or private, that are related to the nuclear industry, as is the case of GDES.

Tetra Tech is Leading with Science® on UK nuclear programmes with innovative engineering, environment, planning, and management solutions that build on more than 20 years’ experience.

We manage several longstanding contracts with the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, including Site Licence Companies, and support over 50 nuclear industry clients.

Whether we are conducting environmental surveys, designing structures, or decommissioning, Tetra Tech delivers crosscutting and innovative solutions to our clients.

Craig Hatch is the Managing Director of the Tetra Tech Great Britain region and he has been heavily involved in the nuclear sector for more than 15 years with WYG. Craig commented: “Adopting the Tetra Tech brand is a natural progression for our business. We have come to see just how complementary our values and approaches are with Tetra Tech. Like WYG, Tetra Tech is a relationship-focused business that puts clients at the heart of everything they do, so becoming Tetra Tech in name and brand makes perfect sense.”

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Core Skills in a Pandemic BY. NEAL COOPER

As I flew to New York in late January 2020 to work at the Metropolitan Opera, little did I know I would soon be scrambling to get back to the UK as the shutters came down on Broadway.

Ten days later we too went into lockdown and the reality of the pandemic started to bite.

For those of us fortunate enough to still be working, we suddenly found ourselves doing so from home. For me this meant getting to grips with delivering training sessions remotely. I felt consciously incompetent and struggled to establish rapport with my trainees or use breakout rooms effectively. Gone were the days of the informal office chats, the networking opportunities and the face-to-face talks with colleagues.

Nevertheless the pandemic has led to some interesting opportunities. The Core Skills sessions, that have been my privilege to devise and deliver (in partnership with the NIA and Davies Nuclear Associates) is one such development.

The challenge? Devise a series of short coffee-break webinars on some key professional skills; presentation, networking, influencing, negotiating, resilience, emotional intelligence and dealing with conflict. The sessions were aimed at all NIA members, particularly those who are new to industry.

Lockdown has led to some taking up new and unexpected hobbies. Others have decided to fine tune some aspects of their working life that might have been neglected. I was interested in allowing people to learn something new and develop some important skills.

It has been a delight to work with Stephanie McKenna, Beth Wisley, Harvey Johnson and David Salter on this project. Their enthusiasm and support have been invaluable.

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I can track my interest in communication back to my childhood in London’s South East, where, as the nephew of the boxing hero Sir Henry Cooper, I became fluent in Estuary English. The grammar school I attended sought to influence this vocal habit with public speaking lessons always having some elocution thrown in.

My English may have been poor, but for some reason I took to German and French with ease and went on to study Modern Languages at Durham University. I later emigrated to France where I taught English at Alstom, working with engineers who had worked on the first French nuclear submarines. I coached people on their presentations and gradually developed an interest in the softer skills of communication.

I moved back to London in 2003 and after some investment in my own development, I began working as a training consultant in association with the Centre for High Performance Development, Hemsley Fraser and Skillstudio. I soon gained recognition as an expert in public speaking coaching, parting my knowledge with business people and the odd politician (and let’s face it, one or two of them are rather odd).

You still might be wondering what I was doing at New York’s Metropolitan Opera all those months ago. Yes, Henry Cooper’s nephew is an opera singer. Now you know. I have to say, performing on some of the world’s biggest stages has taught me a lot about networking, communication and those other key skills, albeit from a slightly different perspective. All the world’s a stage after all.

If you would like to know more about my training and coaching work, feel free to drop me a line at nealcooper37@hotmail.com.

: Something new from the NIA BY. BETH WISELY / ASSISTANT ENGINEER, MAGNOX LIMITED

It’s hard to believe a year has passed since we held the first new2nuclear (n2n) event. In a year with almost constant challenges, n2n has been a positive addition to the NIA events calendar.

Back in February 2020 we hosted n2n’s first networking session which formed part of the International Business group meeting. We wanted to give those who were new to the industry an opportunity to network and meet experts from across the field. Little did we know that this would be the last in-person event we would host for a long while.

Determined not to let anything get in our way, we soldiered on. With little time to prepare and adjust we were ready to take on the virtual world, and we soon started reaching out to early career professionals, both amongst the NIA membership and beyond.

September saw us hold our first Tea Break Talk, part of a series of webinars delivered by business leaders, with a focus on the commercial side of future

nuclear markets. We delved into the Canadian nuclear industry, the financing challenges of upcoming projects, and looked back at the history of the NDA. Interested too in offering something fresh, we decided to launch the Core Skills Sessions. Designed to provide key insights and techniques for professional development, these bite-sized webinars were aimed at developing soft skills.

Delivered by communications coach Neal Cooper, the sessions were very kindly supported by Davies Nuclear Associates.

Much to our, and the members’ delight, we were thrilled when Neal returned to deliver a second series in January. A third series is also in the pipeline.

Looking further ahead we will be hosting more Tea Break Talks, as well as offering virtual networking to give new starters the opportunity to form connections in the business world.

Planning for in-person networking events is already in the works. In the meantime, though, with so many of us

We asked, you spoke, and we will deliver…

BY. STEPHANIE MCKENNA / MEMBER RELATIONS MANAGER

missing out on office interactions, we aim to get members to take some time out of busy schedules for some casual chats during a wellbeing hour. And if all that wasn’t enough, the team is hoping to work more widely with NIA members and industry partners to develop a n2n mentoring scheme. Watch this space.

If you would like to get involved, or would like more information about n2n please email us at n2n@niauk.org.

At the end of December we asked you, our members, to provide feedback on the services that you have received over the year, and we were pleased with the response.

It is clear that the NIA business groups are key to you.

Understandably, high importance is given to our face-to-face meetings; but, members are also finding value in the virtual groups that we have delivered. So, whilst face-to-face events will return as soon as safety permits, we will continue to host our webinars due to the perceived value in these too.

It is also great to hear that members are keen to support the NIA in representing industry to Government/Stakeholders, and that many read the NIA weekly update, which is circulated every Friday and contains key information on what is happening within the industry, Government, and the media.

The NIA always strives to improve, delivering events and services that present value to our members. So, when you asked for more virtual networking events, we have delivered this with virtual drinks and networking sessions for some of our business groups. Members also asked for a session on the Energy White paper and professional development sessions, which we delivered.

We understand your schedules are busy, and the times that work for NIA staff and our speakers may not work for you; so, all our virtual events (including Nuclear2020) are available to view on demand within the member’s area of our website.

Missed giving us your feedback? Do not fear, we are always happy to receive your comments and encourage you to share your thoughts on our services and how we may improve at membership@niauk.org. It is paramount to us that members get the most from their membership.

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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.

To discuss membership options available to your company please call +44 (0)20 7766 6651 or email stephanie.mckenna@niauk.org

JOIN NIA TODAY

NEW NIA MEMBERS

Cognition Land and Water cognitionlandandwater.com Cognition Land and Water is one of the UK’s leading remediation contractors. It has an extensive portfolio of completed projects across many sectors including house building, commercial development, Tier 1 contracting, the nuclear industry and the chemical /pharmaceutical sector.

As one of the most dynamic contractors in the land remediation industry, Cognition Land and Water has an outstanding track record for delivering projects on time and on budget.

We are a specialist consultancy built on the expertise of Mark Richards with access to his specialist network. MRIC provides in depth legal and commercial experience of largescale critical energy or infrastructure programmes across multiple jurisdictions with a specialism in the civil nuclear industry.

Radiocoms Systems Ltd radiocoms.co.uk

Booth Industries booth-industries.co.uk Booth Industries are positioned as a UK market leader providing the complete in-house design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of proven high integrity certified steel performance doorsets for nuclear and other hazardous market sectors.

Standard and project specific solutions are available to comply with a wide range of high-performance specifications with a focus on quality and reliability to mitigate risk to personnel and critical assets.

Booth offers a dynamic and proactive approach to providing advice and support for door solutions.

Mark Richards International Consulting mric.co.uk

Hydrasun Ltd hydrasun.com Hydrasun is the recognised market leader in fluid transfer, power and control solutions to the global energy industries.

A core product offering is supplemented by an integrated service solution in areas of fluid transfer, instrumentation, integrity management, umbilicals and hydraulic power and control.

Hydrasun has over 400 employees committed to delivering service excellence and adding value to customers’ operations worldwide.

Radiocoms is an award winning company and the UK’s leading independent communications supplier specialising in the design, commissioning, deployment, and maintenance of wireless voice, video, and data networks.

Its vendor independence provides it with the opportunity to look impartially at each client’s particular requirements and deliver the most cost-effective and collaborative solution.

Supported by a network of field engineers and sales professionals based throughout the UK, Radiocoms is one of the few communications companies able to provide a truly national service.

Wincanton wincanton.co.uk Civil Nuclear Constabulary gov.uk/government/organisations/civilnuclear-constabulary The Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) is responsible for the armed police protection of civil nuclear facilities and civil nuclear material (on site or in transit).

It employs over 1,500 police officers and staff at nuclear sites throughout the UK and works closely with police forces, nuclear regulators and other agencies.

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Kinectrics kinectrics.com Kinectrics is the category leader in providing life cycle management services for the electricity industry.

From initial design and type testing to operational deployment and maintenance services, Kinectrics collaborates closely with customers to ensure utility assets perform safely, reliably and efficiently throughout their entire life cycle.

Wincanton is the largest British logistics firm, providing supply chain consultancy and solutions to worldwide brands across a range of industries including retail, construction and energy.

Improved stock visibility and availability, reduction of lead times, collaborative warehousing and transport models, and an absolute commitment to continuous improvement, are just some of the reasons why many of our customer relationships extend to more than 20 years.

BY. LINCOLN HILL / DIRECTOR OF POLICY AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

“THE UK GOVERNMENT IS AMBITIOUS ABOUT PROMOTING ITSELF AS A CLIMATE LEADER INTERNATIONALLY. NUCLEAR POWER IS ESSENTIAL TO THE UK’S NET ZERO VISION”

The politics of the last quarter have been understandably dominated by the vaccine rollout and the consequences of the continued lockdown, especially on schools. In this environment, energy policy naturally isn’t the first priority.

Following the crescendo that culminated in the White Paper, which Ieuan has already so ably covered, the pace of announcements has slowed.

Some of the focus has naturally shifted to specific projects and how those might be delivered. Advanced negotiations on Sizewell C have begun, which is encouraging as the project is the vital next step for the nuclear industry.

We also saw the sad confirmation that Horizon Nuclear Power will be wound up at the end of March, and Hitachi’s final withdrawal from the Wylfa Newydd project.

It’s a reminder that we need a specific pathway to build new nuclear capacity, as well as the high-level policy ambition to have more. Financing is still the leading obstacle, and we’re continuing to press for a viable solution.

Even as these challenges continue, we have a new opportunity emerging in COP26. The UK Government is ambitious about promoting itself as a climate leader internationally. Nuclear power is essential to the UK’s net zero vision set out in the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan and in the Energy White Paper.

On that basis, we’re pressing for nuclear to have strong representation at the conference in Glasgow later this year. Of course, nuclear power does create more

debate than some other forms of energy, and it isn’t seen as an uncontroversial, lowest-common-denominator option.

Since we need nuclear for net zero, we’re looking to underscore our credentials on three vital questions: → Is nuclear green and sustainable, in

terms of both carbon emissions and other environmental impacts?

→ Does nuclear help phase out coal specif-

ically, and fossil fuels more generally?

→ Can nuclear power help a wide range

of countries decarbonise?

On the first question, nuclear is of course a proven, reliable source of emissions-free power. Since Calder Hall opened, nuclear has saved the UK 2.3 billion tonnes of carbon, far more than any other source.

Globally, it’s saved more than 80 billion tonnes, second only to hydroelectric power. In fact, nuclear’s efficiency means that our lifecycle carbon footprint is just 12g/kWh, the lowest alongside offshore and onshore wind.

That same efficiency also means that our land footprint is by far the lowest of any zero-carbon generator. The power of E=mc2 allows 442 reactors to produce 10% of the world’s electricity, enough for perhaps 500 million people, from a space considerably smaller than inner London.

Since we don’t need much land, our impact on the wider environment is very limited, which matters greatly for biodiversity and other key elements to sustainable development.

The UK Presidency will also focus on phasing out coal as part of that pathway to sustainable development. Here again, we are going to show the critical role of nuclear.

So many countries use coal because it’s a reliable way to keep the lights on in all conditions. Only nuclear can provide a carbon-free alternative to replace the firm power coal supplies.

The question of coal, which is widely burned in the developing world, influences the last question: is nuclear a just a solution for advanced economies?

The answer is that nuclear is a solution for all economies.

Nuclear has one clear advantage: it does not depend on endowments of natural resources or particular circumstances, such as climactic conditions, powerful rivers, coal deposits or oil reserves. Any country can build a nuclear power station.

The advent of small modular reactors opens further possibilities for smaller countries with smaller grids, who perhaps couldn’t accommodate gigawatt-scale reactors, to bring nuclear online.

The UK Government wants to establish its own climate leadership and to facilitate global solutions at COP this year. Nuclear supports both objectives.

It can provide the foundation of firm, zero-carbon generation needed to get the UK to net zero, and offers the sustainable, efficient, and adaptable solutions that countries around the world need. So, when it comes to COP26, nuclear ought to be in the mix.

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