Nuclear

The UK's nuclear expertise is a result of more than 50 years safe delivery of nuclear energy. From start up to decommissioning, the UK offers skills and expertise crucial to the safe development and installation of nuclear energy infrastructure.

Click here to access the UK Nuclear: Powering the future brochure. 

It is estimated that nuclear - based generation capacity will grow from 369 GW installed capacity to around 416 GW in total by 2030 with the vast majority located in Oranisations for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.

Outside the OECD, Russia, India and China have the most ambitious nuclear power programmes.  The Russian government has made nuclear power development a priority with the target to move from 16 percent to 25 percent of electricity production by 2030. The investment required for the establishment of new nuclear capacity to 2030 is estimated at more than $200 billion. Around 30 new plants are currently under construction world wide, with another 94 planned and a further 186 being proposed.

The UK was a pioneer in nuclear generation technology and remains a leading world player. Its nuclear equipment and services companies have a long track record of design and construction, operations and monitoring and, more recently, experience of life extension and decommissioning.

The companies that make up the UK civil nuclear industry have been engaged in the development of civil nuclear power for over 50 years and, together, they have unrivalled experience.  The UK nuclear industry employs directly and indirectly approximately 80,000 highly qualified people in the UK, provides about 20% of the UK's electricity and earns the UK about $1.2 billion a year from overseas business, selling to leading international nuclear vendors like Areva, Westinghouse, AECL, GE, Hitachi, Toshiba and MHI.

The UK itself has 19 operating commercial nuclear power reactors, of three different types: four Magnox (gas-cooled reactors), fourteen AGRs (Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors) and one PWR (Pressurised Water Reactor). The UK's oldest reactor, and the world's first commercial nuclear power station, Calder Hall, a Magnox-type station, closed in 2003, having operated for more than 40 years.  The UK's newest station, the PWR Sizewell B, started commercial operation in 1996.

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Asset Management
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The UK has exceptional skills in asset management services that aim to either improve operating performance or extend the economic life of power generation assets, by means of technical improvements, major retrofitting / refurbishment of main plant and networks, new operations practices, sophisticated monitoring and complex decision analysis.

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Decommissioning
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The UK is also a world leader in decommissioning civil nuclear power reactors and associated facilities, with over a decade of experience. We have embarked on our own major domestic decommissioning programme, which is the responsibility of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).

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Education & Training
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The UK nuclear industry, through its Sector Skills Council, and nuclear employers have set up a National Skills Academy for Nuclear (NSAN) catering for new build, decommissioning and operational plants.

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Fuel Cycle
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The UK industry has a complete nuclear fuel cycle capability for all light water and gas-cooled reactor types, comprising the manufacture of power reactor fuel, including MOX (Mixed Oxide) fuel; the transport of fresh and spent fuel; the reprocessing of spent fuel; and the recycling of the recovered uranium and plutonium into fresh fuel, including MOX fuel.  Uranium enrichment is provided by Urenco using highly efficient ultra-centrifuge technology.

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New Build
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In terms of nuclear construction, maintenance and operational support, the UK industry has almost complete design, manufacture, construction and operational support capability for nuclear power and fuel cycle facilities. This accounts for approximately 70&percent; of new build requirements.

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Professional Services
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The UK nuclear industry is a major exporter of technology and skills and UK companies often work in close collaboration with international companies on projects around the world.

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Technology Research & Development
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UK companies and nuclear agencies have a long tradition in research and development.  A National Nuclear Laboratory and science centre has been set up with funding from government and industry to provide a centre of excellence for research into nuclear power generation.

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Featured Case Study

Powering ahead

Cutting-edge engineering consultancy, IPEC, is working with Chinese power companies to explore new business opportunities
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