| The NDA - a civil engineer's perspective | | Print | |
| Monday, 24 July 2006 | |
|
Allan Chalmers, Head of Nuclear Engineering, Taylor Woodrow PLC
For 50 years now Taylor Woodrow has served the needs of the civil engineering infrastructure associated with the UK's nuclear power generation programme. For the first 40 of those years the focus was on design and construction of new plant whereas in more recent times the focus has changed to the provision of support services to the generators in terms of on going maintenance and safety updates. Now these services are allied to those we provide to the sectors of the nuclear business concerned with radioactive waste processing, handling and storage and nuclear decommissioning. Currently the public civil element of the UK's decommissioning legacy is projected to be of the order of £40 billion. It is appropriate that this historic legacy should be managed and controlled by an organisation mandated by Parliament to do so on behalf of the nation. The Government is therefore proposing to set up the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). It is to be hoped that this important initiative will not be a political football and that it will receive broad support across the entire political spectrum. Decommissioning is a long-term programme of national importance and requires periods of stability to ensure that medium to longer-term national objectives are met. Most crucially this will necessitate the creation of operational models that deliver value for money whilst maintaining high safety standards. The NDA will inherit the initial work being undertaken by the recently formed Liabilities Management Unit (LMU) with in DTI. We hope that the transition from LMU to NDA will be seamless and that it will create an environment where service providers will be rewarded for excellence of service. There must also be a framework to ensure investment in the necessary training to maintain the long-term skills sets necessary to achieve the work programmes effectively and efficiently. The formation of the NDA is a valuable initiative and ultimately of benefit to all. It also represents tangible evidence that the Government is making the necessary long-term commitments to deal with the nuclear legacy situation as it actually exists. |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
