NIA - The Nuclear Industry Association

Fueling the debate

Malcolm Wicks MP, the new Energy Minister at DTI, made his first public appearance at a nuclear industry event in July at Nuclear Congress 2005 “Fuel for Thought”, a coup for the organisers, the British Nuclear Energy Society (BNES) and Institution of Nuclear Engineers (InucE).

NIA's Kate Amos with Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks at the Fuel for Thought conference

Malcolm Wicks MP, the new Energy Minister at DTI, made his first public appearance at a nuclear industry event in July at Nuclear Congress 2005 "Fuel for Thought", a coup for the organisers, the British Nuclear Energy Society (BNES) and Institution of Nuclear Engineers (InucE). The three day event took place at the University of Wales in Newport, nestled among green fields, near the quaint village of Caerleon. It started with a reception on the evening of 5 July and ran through to the afternoon of 7 July.

The Minister for Energy spoke in a frank, direct fashion, stating that if the Government was serious about the central issues of climate change, security of energy supply and the UK's economic competitiveness, then it could not rule out the nuclear option. While he did not offer a specific timescale for a Government energy policy review, he assured the audience that a decision on nuclear would be taken during this Parliament. On a personal front, he declared that he had no prejudices about the issue himself and is prepared to keep an open mind, with the onus on the industry to make the effort to improve its image, take responsibility for itself and support its case in practice, if he is to be persuaded.

A particularly interesting perspective was provided by Bertrand Barr�, President of the European Nuclear Society, who championed the future prospects for the international nuclear industry against the hesitant political will of the UK, sharing views on the much-debated question of economics, the general management of uranium supply and the electricity utility market. Other highlights during the two day conference were sessions on the workings of the NDA, to which industry members keenly asked questions, but for which the answers left a vague sense of mystery. David Hayes of the NDA legislation team at DTI argued that the industry needed to coordinate its operations and prepare itself for competition, but the audience felt that the guidelines need to come from the NDA itself. On the waste management issue, Gordon MacKerron, Chair of CoRWM, insisted that there had not been and would not be delays in the procedure, but could not guarantee implementation of the final recommendation on the management of the industry's liabilities.

The packed, two-tiered, programme covered all areas of the nuclear fuel cycle with a number of talks on skills and the workforce of the future, and was styled to spotlight the youth of the industry, with members of the Young Generation Network (YGN) chairing sessions, running workshops and giving presentations. Dave Clarke, Chair of the YGN, took part in the first panel session alongside the Energy Minister and Mike Weightman, the new Chief Inspector of the NII, while Chris Hall and Sarah Greenwood, also YGN members, ran communications workshops and provided round-up presentations on their findings and the benefits of communications. NIA's Miranda Kirschel chaired the session on liabilities management and other members of the YGN, Becky Ferris, Corhyn Horsfall and Jeroen Veenstra, among many others, fuelled the debates during Q&A sessions. It was encouraging to see so many young people at a nuclear industry event, and even more encouraging that the spotlight is, albeit reluctantly, moving away from the industry's liabilities, and stopping to rest at times on its assets.

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