The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

 

Chief Executive Tony Fountain told a Unite conference that the most important thing the NDA can do to support nuclear new build is to deliver the safe and effective clean-up of the nuclear legacy.

Speaking to a sizeable audience from the nuclear sector, Tony Fountain said that he expected the Government's next Comprehensive Spending Review, now anticipated to take place later this year, to be tough.

"We've tried to be very proactive in exploring a range of planned efficiencies," Tony said.

The NDA has developed a set of options that would preserve the core decommissioning and clean-up mission, drawn up in collaboration with the sites as well as through positive engagement with Government nuclear experts and regulators. Acknowledging that there had been good performances across the NDA estate, particularly with regard to safety, he said that there was widespread agreement on the compelling need to continue improving efficiency and productivity.  In addition he has set a challenge of reducing overheads by 20% for all the NDA sites and within the NDA itself.

The conference Nuclear Energy – Our Present, Our Future, was organised and chaired by Unite National Official Dougie Rooney. Following a keynote speech by Energy and Climate Change Secretary of State Ed Miliband, who stressed the importance of effective decommissioning to the new build programme, there were contributions from senior representatives from across the nuclear industry. These included Vincent de Rivaz, Chief Executive of EDF, Clare Spottiswoode, Non-Executive of Energy Solutions, Denis Hugelmann, Vice-President Back End Business Group Areva, and Dan Lipman, Senior Vice-President Westinghouse.