Developing and Supporting Inclusive Leaders in the UK Nuclear Sector

The Future Workforce consultations carried out by the Next Generation Nuclear Industry Council culminated in this report in September 2022. The report includes 7 recommendations and over the course of 2023 we will start to address some of these in collaboration with individuals from across the UK industry that have an interest in the topics and a motivation to support meaningful action.

In the future workforce consultations, we asked people to describe a working environment in which they would feel most comfortable, happy, motivated and included. The answer that came up most frequently was ‘’Inclusive’’. This led us to the recommendation that national coordination in developing inclusive leaders would really make a difference. The idea of a future where the nuclear sector is known as an inclusive place to work and an environment that develops and supports inclusive leaders is truly exciting. We respect the fact that all organisations in the sector are addressing inclusion at the organisational level, so the question we will be answering over the course of 2023 is the following: What can be done at the sector level nationally to compliment and enhance the initiatives happening within organisations. Our starting point is to define inclusive leadership. What does it mean to be an inclusive leader and why is it so important to the success of the UK nuclear sector?

Inclusive Leadership in the Nuclear Industry What is it and why does it matter?

Inclusive leadership in the nuclear industry is a topic of growing importance. It refers to a style of leadership that embraces diversity and encourages collaboration among people with different backgrounds, opinions, and experiences. This type of leadership is essential for fostering an environment of growth and innovation, as well as creating an inclusive workplace culture.

Defining Inclusive Leadership

Nembhard and Edmondson (2006) define inclusive leadership as ‘’words and deeds exhibited by leaders that invite and appreciate others’ contributions’’. Inclusive leadership is a type of leadership style which focuses on building relationships and creating an environment of collaboration, inclusion, and respect. Inclusive leaders strive to create an environment in which every individual feels valued, respected, and supported regardless of their background or identity. Inclusive leadership is particularly important in the nuclear industry as it allows for a diverse group of professionals to work together and achieve success.

Inclusive leadership focuses on building trust, understanding the perspectives of others, and actively listening to those around us. It encourages open communication between leaders and those they lead, and encourages everyone to be part of the decision-making process. Inclusive leaders also strive to create an environment that is psychologically safe and supportive, and they recognize the importance of diversity in building strong teams and organizations.

In the nuclear industry, inclusive leadership is important in order to create a workplace that is both safe and effective. This type of leadership encourages open dialogue and constructive collaboration among team members, as well as respectful communication and support. By emphasizing inclusive leadership practices, the nuclear industry can ensure that that diverse perspectives are heard and respected and that all employees feel safe and valued.

Characteristics of Inclusive Leaders

In order to be an effective inclusive leader, there are several key characteristics we should strive to have. First, it is essential that inclusive leaders have a deep sense of empathy and understanding. This allows them to better connect with those around them and foster meaningful relationships. It also helps them to be more open-minded and respectful of differing opinions.

Inclusive leaders also need to be strong communicators. They must be able to articulate their expectations clearly, as well as listen and respond to the needs of their team members. Additionally, they should demonstrate self-awareness and emotional intelligence, so they can recognize when someone is feeling unheard or uncomfortable.

Finally, inclusive leaders should exhibit integrity and professionalism. This means having strong moral principles, leading by example, and setting a positive tone for the workplace.

By exhibiting these characteristics, inclusive leaders can create an environment of inclusion and respect that encourages collaboration, trust, and innovation. This is especially important in the nuclear industry, where diversity of thought and experience are essential for success.

How Inclusive Leaders Create an Environment for Success

Inclusive leaders create an environment of success by creating a safe and trusting environment where everyone’s voice is heard. They foster an environment that celebrates diversity, encourages collaboration, and rewards individual contributions. By doing so, they provide everyone the opportunity to contribute to their fullest potential and the potential of the team as a whole.

Inclusive leaders are also proactive in setting expectations and developing strategies to ensure everyone is working together and that everyone is heard. They ensure that each member of the team feels valued and that all voices are taken into consideration. This helps to foster an atmosphere of respect, understanding, and trust within the team.

In addition to creating a safe and trusting environment, inclusive leaders also recognize that each person has unique strengths, experiences, and perspectives. They embrace this diversity of thought and use it to challenge the status quo and create new ideas. By doing so, they empower their team members to have the confidence to express their opinions, collaborate on projects, and think outside the box.

Finally, inclusive leaders strive for continuous improvement. They recognize that there is always more to learn and more ways to work together. They continuously monitor their team’s performance and adjust processes and practices to ensure everyone is achieving success.

Inclusive leadership is vital in the nuclear industry. It helps to ensure that all voices are heard and respected, and that everyone is contributing to their fullest potential. By creating an environment of trust, understanding, and respect, inclusive leaders can help their teams succeed.

It’s been a busy start to the year for nuclear in the media, with the big news in the Chancellor’s Budget that nuclear would be classed as environmentally sustainable in the UK Green Taxonomy. Naturally it was a big story with plenty of coverage, and a series of ‘Is nuclear green?’ explainers, including form the Guardian and BBC News.

As the Nuclear Industry Association’s boss, Tom Greatrex, explains in the opening few pages of this edition, we are following the science when we say nuclear is green. It also made the BBC Six o’clock news, which would have included an appearance from an NIA spokesperson had the transport strikes not scuppered the interview!

The NIA’s reaction to media whispers that nuclear was to get green status was covered back in February in the Daily Telegraph. The subsequent LinkedIn post was one of our most popular ever with over 30,000 impressions.

Another top performing post on the NIA’s social channels was a clip of Lincoln Hill giving evidence to the BEIS Select Committee on nuclear’s role in decarbonising the power sector. The video of the NIA’s Director of Policy and External Affairs was viewed over 7,000 times. He told the Committee that “only nuclear provides a base of firm, clean power.”

At the very end of 2022, Bloomberg News ran this headline: UK Grid Set to Pay Record Sum to Keep the Country’s Lights On. It came from some top analysis work from the NIA team who have been busy keeping track of what Britain has been paying to balance the electricity grid. And it’s a lot.

When the NIA number crunched 2022 in total, the data showed that £4 billion had been spent on balancing the grid, smashing the previous record by some distance. The analysis was exclusively covered in the Telegraph paper.

In February the BBC covered the delivery of the UK’s first reactor in 30 years, which arrived at the Hinkley Point C site in Somerset.

The incredible images of the 13-metre, 500-tonne reactor were released by EDF, showing the journey which started in France before arriving by barge and then driven with extreme care and pin point accuracy to the site. The momentous delivery of the reactor pressure vessel was covered widely in the media, including in the Daily Express, which quoted the NIA’s Tom Greatrex.

TV presenter Guy Martin visited three key nuclear sites for his Great British Power Trip series on Channel 4.

In the series’ third and final programme, the Lincolnshire mechanic spent the day as part of the Hinkley Point C workforce, (safely!) handled nuclear waste at Sellafield and joined physicists at Culham in Oxford, even controlling their £70m fusion machine. It’s a great watch and a brilliant opportunity to see some of the industry’s best in action. Catch up on All 4!

SA electricity crisis

South Africa’s government declared a national state of disaster to respond to the ongoing electricity crisis.

Persistent loadshedding is impeding recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and events including catastrophic flooding that struck parts of the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and North West last year.

The president last July unveiled a five-point action plan to address an electricity generation shortfall of 4000 to 6000 MW, with key interventions to transform the electricity sector to achieve long-term energy security.

Poland’s Industria selects Rolls-Royce SMR for green energy plans

Rolls-Royce SMR and Polish group Industria have signed a Memorandum of Intent to collaborate on deploying SMRs in the country.

Industria is state-owned, part of Industrial Development Agency JSC, and has selected the Rolls-Royce SMR for the Central Hydrogen Cluster, with plans to produce 50,000 tonnes of low-carbon hydrogen each year.

There could be “up to three” SMRs as part of the scheme to decarbonise the regional energy infrastructure.

Rolls-Royce SMR said there may also be “opportunities to replace more than 8GW of coal-fired power plants in southern Poland with SMRs throughout the 2030s”.

Poland is in the process of a largescale switch towards nuclear energy as part of its decarbonisation plans.

China starts building long-distance nuclear heating pipeline

Construction has begun of a 23-kilommetre pipeline to transport nuclear-generated heat from the Haiyang power plant in China’s Shandong province to a wider area. The plant started providing district heat to the surrounding area in November 2020.

Installation of equipment at unit 2 of the Haiyang plant to extract heat began in July last year and has now been completed. The heating pipe network and pumping station in the plant are now being constructed. The project is planned to be put into operation before the end of 2023.

The long-distance pipeline will have an annual heating capacity that can reach 9.7 million gigajoules, providing heat to a 13 million square metre area and meeting the needs of 1 million residents. Replacing the consumption of some 900,000 tonnes of coal, this

For full versions and more details on these and other stories visit www.world-nuclear-news.org will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.65 million tonnes.

Second Belgian reactor enters retirement

Unit 2 of the Tihange nuclear power plant in Belgium has been permanently shut down after 40 years of operation. The 1008 MWe pwr is the second to be shut down under the country’s nuclear phase out policy.

Operator Electrabel said that shortly after the 31 January shutdown, operators will open the reactor for one final time, remove all the fuel and transfer it to the cooling pools. In order to remove as much radioactivity from the reactor systems as possible, workers will flush the primary circuit with a chemical solution.

In 2024, operators will begin transferring the already sufficiently cooled fuel elements (from previous reactor operating cycles) from the cooling pools to special storage and transport containers. The cooling pools are expected to be completely emptied of fuel in 2027.

Belgium’s nuclear plants account for almost half of the country’s electricity production. The country’s federal law of 31 January 2003 requires the phaseout of all nuclear electricity generation. Most of Belgium’s nuclear capacity will be phased out by 2025.

Holtec’s bid to power 9 million UK homes with fleet of its SMR-160

Holtec, a worldwide leader in spent nuclear fuel storage and technical solutions for the nuclear industry, has completed the first phase of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s three-phase Vendor Design Review and is undergoing pre-application engagement activities with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. We also recently announced our application to start the GDA of SMR-160 in the UK.

Our company’s goal is to deploy a fleet of SMR160s, providing over a fifth of Britain’s 24 GW nuclear target by 2050, to bring reliable and affordable electricity and heat to 9 million households and businesses. Last year we applied to the UK Government for funding support towards the GDA.

Our next generation SMR-160 is a Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) technology based on existing regulations in the US and UK and uses PWR fuel, similar to that already used at Sizewell B, and soon at Hinkley Point C. This will enable standardization of the front-end and back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle, supporting common facilities and equipment for production, storage, and disposal of fuel, to be economically competitive.

In parallel to the licensing preparation activities, Holtec is also working to setup our supply chain to deliver its first UK SMR-160 project. We have teamed with Hyundai Engineering and Construction (HDEC) and Balfour Beatty to advance the planning for construction of the reactors in the UK. Holtec recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sheffield Forgemasters to jointly develop the design for manufacture and specifications for forgings, which followed a separate agreement signed last year with Global Energy Group on manufacturing and engineering. These UK agreements build upon our international supply chain, which includes HDEC, Mitsubishi Electric and Framatome.

With the SMR-160 Standard Design being completed this year, our GDA will focus on the US-UK regulatory differences. Holtec has selffunded the major development activities itself for well over a decade. Our proposed two-step

The international energy technology company recently submitted its entry application for the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) of its SMR-160 in the UK, with its sights set on powering Britain to its energy security and net zero targets. Here, Gareth Thomas, the Director of Holtec Britain, the firm’s UK arm, explains how it intends to get there, and how disused coal plants could hold the key.

GDA project includes substantial UK content and is prepared to support economic advantages to previously challenged economic areas.

Following completion of Step 2 of the GDA, we intend on moving to site licensing for the first SMR-160 construction project, having already identified potential UK sites suitable for hosting the first wave reactors. At its peak, the UK programme is expected to support over 10,000 jobs.

One advantage of our SMR design is to allow us to repurpose shuttered coal plants, by replacing the coal boiler plant with an SMR-160 nuclear power plant, enabling much of a coal-fired plant’s infrastructure, including the high voltage substation and transmission lines to be repurposed. Thousands of coal-burning plants around the world presently consigned to premature decommissioning can instead be re-purposed as productive clean energy generating assets. A study published in 2022 by the US Department of Energy found that hundreds of coal power plant sites across the US could be converted to nuclear plant sites, providing huge decarbonization gains as well as bringing tangible economic, employment and environmental benefits to the communities where those plants are located. We are also developing a highly efficient solar collector technology that can be co-located with SMR-160 reactors to coax additional power from the sun using the land no longer needed for coal and ash handling, and storage facilities at the coal-fired plants. We expect the energy demand to be met 24/7 by deploying the Holtec Green Boiler, which can store surplus electricity generated by nuclear, solar or wind. This is a heavily insulated thermal energy storage device with integral steam generators capable of producing superheated high-pressure steam for a diverse range of applications, including hydrogen production. Each module can be charged/ discharged over a 24 hour period, which each module storing 300 million BTU.

Our goal at Holtec is to be “A Generation Ahead by Design”, and this work helps us continue to strive to help future generations with clean, green power for decades to come.