Difference between revisions of "AMEC"

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'''AMEC''' is one of Britain's leading engineering project management and consultancy companies, listed on the London Stock Exchange and the FTSE 100. It operates in some 700 locations and 40 countries across the globe. <ref> [http://www.amec.com/documents/investors/6.6_financial_reports/annual-report-overview.pdf Amec at a Glance, Annual Report and Accounts 2011], accessed August 2012 </ref>
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==Background==
 
==Background==
  
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'''Amec''' is one of Britain's leading engineering project management and consultancy companies, listed on the London Stock Exchange and the FTSE 100. It operates in some 700 locations and 40 countries across the globe<ref>AMEC, [http://www.amec.com/uploadfiles/FurtherInformationDocuments/broch1750_V3(screen).pdf ''Shaping the Future'']</ref> and employs over 27,000 people as of mid-2012.
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AMEC employed over 27,000 people in over 40 countries in 2012. In 2011, 70 per cent of AMEC's turnover was generated outside of the UK. Nuclear work was only eight per cent of its turnover. A similar percentage comes from renewables and bioprocessing, which includes biofuels and biomass. <ref> [http://www.amec.com/documents/investors/6.6_financial_reports/annual-report-2011.pdf AMEC Annual Report and Accounts 2011], accessed August 2012 </ref>
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AMEC has worked in the nuclear sector since the birth of the industry almost 60 years ago and today employs over 3000 specialists in this field. <ref name="nuclear"> [http://www.amec.com/sectors/nuclear/nuclear.htm Nuclear], AMEC Website, Section on Nuclear, accessed August 2012 </ref> It says it is "the largest UK private sector supplier of programme management and engineering services and programme and asset management to the nuclear industry”. <ref> AMEC [https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:8omQ2joiW2IJ:www.amec.com/documents/1_about_us/brochures_and_publications/nuclear_brochure+&hl=en&gl=sg&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjwfic0wDoMaJUP31vVqYiwwRjDAY8fCRJo1TldDUPgf2AbJfHAsg88-2vvqI154WVDUdH6vkHhQJUCcY9Z8ZdunJeB0EoqcIunP0hWe_66vYKqnKU0Ou3MM07_OyibGn2MIlhk&sig=AHIEtbSINwkwgnLzEpAQc-LwcX2lt2lrnw&pli=1 Nuclear Brochure], accessed August 2012 (also downloadable from http://www.amec.com/documents/1_about_us/brochures_and_publications/nuclear_brochure.htm) accessed August 2012 </ref>
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Clients as of 2012 include [[Sellafield Ltd]], [[OPG]], [[Bruce Power]], [[AWE Aldermaston]], [[Rolls Royce]], [[BAE]], and [[EDF Energy]] which now incorporates [[British Energy]]. Past clients include the [[British Nuclear Group]] and [[UKAEA]] and a wide range of international nuclear operators'.<ref name="nuclear"/>  
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In June 2012 AMEC bought [[Serco Group]] plc’s nuclear Technical Services Group (TSG) business for £137 million. TS is based at a number of sites in the UK and has around 600 staff providing consulting and project solutions for customers including the [[Ministry of Defence]], [[EDF]], [[Magnox Ltd]] and the [[Nuclear Decommissioning Authority]]. <ref> [http://www.amec.com/media/news_releases/2012/amec-acquires-serco’s-nuclear-technical-services-business.htm ''AMEC acquires Serco’s nuclear Technical Services business''], AMEC News Release 29th June 2012, accessed August 2012.</ref> Serco notes that Serco itself will continue to serve the defence and science sectors, notably [[AWE]] and the National Nuclear and National Physical laboratories. <ref> [http://www.serco.com/media/pressreleases/disposaloftcs.asp Disposal of Serco's Technical Services business], SERCO Press Release 29th June 2012, accessed August 2012.</ref>
  
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AMEC has worked in the nuclear sector since the birth of the industry almost 60 years ago and today employs over 2000 specialists in this field. <ref name="nuclear"> [http://www.amec.com/sectors/nuclear/nuclear.htm Nuclear], AMEC Website, Section on Nuclear, accessed 22 June 2012 </ref> It says it is "the largest UK private sector supplier of programme management and engineering services to the industry... We ensure the safe and efficient operation of nuclear plants, from concept through to decommissioning. <ref> AMEC [https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:8omQ2joiW2IJ:www.amec.com/documents/1_about_us/brochures_and_publications/nuclear_brochure+&hl=en&gl=sg&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjwfic0wDoMaJUP31vVqYiwwRjDAY8fCRJo1TldDUPgf2AbJfHAsg88-2vvqI154WVDUdH6vkHhQJUCcY9Z8ZdunJeB0EoqcIunP0hWe_66vYKqnKU0Ou3MM07_OyibGn2MIlhk&sig=AHIEtbSINwkwgnLzEpAQc-LwcX2lt2lrnw&pli=1 Nuclear Brochure], accessed 22 June 2012 (also downloadable from http://www.amec.com/documents/1_about_us/brochures_and_publications/nuclear_brochure.htm)
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==AMEC's nuclear partnerships==
  
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Clients as of 2012 include [[Sellafield]] Limited, [[OPG]], [[Bruce Power]], [[AWE Aldermaston]], [[Rolls Royce]], [[BAE]], and [[EDF Energy]] which now incorporates [[British Energy]]. Past clients include the [[British Nuclear Group]] and [[UKAEA]] and a wide range of international nuclear operators'.<ref name="nuclear"/>
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===Nuclear Management Partners===
  
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One of its main subsidiary companies is [[AMEC NNC]] "an international nuclear engineering services company".<ref>[http://www.amecnnc.com/ AMEC NNC Website]</ref>
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Amec is part of [[Nuclear Management Partners]] (NMP), a consortium with American company [[URS]], and French company [[Areva]], which runs [[Sellafield Ltd]], managing and operating the Sellafield site in West Cumbria, Capenhurst in Cheshire and the engineering design capability based at Risley in Warrington on behalf of the [[Nuclear Decommissioning Authority]] (NDA). <ref> [http://www.sellafieldsites.com/about-us/nuclear-management-partners Nuclear Management Partners website] accessed August 2012. </ref>  
  
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==The company==
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The Sellafield nuclear site was previously owned and operated by [[British Nuclear Fuels Ltd]], but all its nuclear sites were transferred to the NDA in 2005, and BNFL was abolished in 2010. The NDA is a non-departmental public body which does not directly manage the facilities it owns, but contracts out the delivery of management and decommissioning operations to private contractors. In the case of Sellafield, NMP is currently contracted to run reprocessing and nuclear waste management activities.
  
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In 2002, AMEC employed 22,964 people and had 1,976 new contracts worldwide. It was ranked 19th in the top global construction firms.<ref>'Top Global Contractors,' ENR, 2002. See: http://enr.construction.com/people/toplists/topGlobalcont/topglobalCont_1-50.asp. Viewed: 11.03.04</ref> It reported a decline in results during the same year, with turnover of £4.33bn and operating profit of £100.2m. The rail arm is one of the fastest growing aspects of the business.<ref>'Unison Companies Update,' Unison, 09.04.03. See: www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/B798.pdf. Viewed: 26.01.04</ref>
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[[Richard Caborn]], a former Labour trade minister was appointed a non-executive director of Nuclear Management Partners in 2007.
  
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In 2002, 60% of AMEC's turnover was generated outside of the UK. AMEC chief executive, Sir [[Peter Mason]], said prior to the war on Iraq: 'If there is a war, we might see more work afterwards. We were involved in Kuwait the last time.'<ref>'Unison Companies Update,' Unison, 09.04.03. See: www.unison.org.uk/acrobat/B798.pdf. Viewed: 26.01.04</ref>
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In 2013 Sellafield's owner, the [[Nuclear Decommissioning Authority]] (NDA), expressed disappointment at NMP'’s running of the site and in August 2013 was reportedly deciding whether to renew NMP's contract, to re-tender it, or to take over the management itself. <ref name="Amec"> [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/10236502/Amec-defends-Sellafield-nuclear-clean-up-record-as-22bn-contract-hangs-in-balance.html Amec defends Sellafield nuclear clean-up record as £22bn contract hangs in balance],''The Telegraph'', 8:29PM BST 11 August 2013, acc 13 Aug 2013 </ref>
  
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In 2004 it was awarded major reconstruction contracts in Iraq. <ref>AMEC, [http://www.amec.com/news/mediareleasedetails.asp?Pageid=876&MediaID=873  AMEC Wins Major Contracts to Restore Public Works and Water Infrastructure in Iraq], Press Release, 24 March, 2004.</ref>
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Amec, although admitting NMP's failings, claimed to have delivered “good value” in managing nuclear waste clean-up operations at Sellafield and remained “optimistic” of retaining the £22bn contract. <ref name="Amec"/>
  
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==People==
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Its optimism proved well-founded - in early October 2013 the NDA announced that it would renew the contract, despite the fierce public criticism.  The NDA said it wanted to give NMP further time to make "significant improvements".  According to the NDA's chief executive officer [[John Clarke]],
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*[[Richard Caborn]], a former Labour trade minister was appointed in 2007 as a non-executive director of the joint [[Nuclear Management Partners]] alliance formed by Amec and fellow nuclear clean-up specialists [[Washington Group International]] (now owned by the [[URS Corporation]]) and France's [[Areva]].
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:Sellafield is by far the most complex and challenging site in our portfolio, and we are determined to drive improved performance.
  
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==Dams and pipelines==
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:The right decision is to extend the contract to give NMP further time to bring about the improvements in capability and performance at the site that we and they are looking for. We have had extensive discussions with NMP and made clear where these improvements must be made. <ref> [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-24395044 Sellafield nuclear waste firm keeps contract despite criticism], BBC News,  4 October 2013 Last updated at 11:58 GMT, acc 29 October 2013 </ref>
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In 2003, when AMEC announced that it had 99.96% approval for the takeover of the French firm SPIE Batignolles, eyebrows were raised. At the time, SPIE was in the middle of a court case involving bribery allegations in the construction of a controversial dam as part of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. High ranking officials at the project were imprisoned for taking bribes from multinationals including SPIE and Canada's Acres International.<ref>'Bribery row mars Amec's ballot win,' Terry Macalister, The Guardian, 06.02.03. See: www.odiousdebts.org/odiousdebts/index.cfm?DSP=content&ContentID=6502. Viewed: 23.01.04</ref>
 
  
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The dam scheme in southern Africa attracted the attention of environmentalists who claimed that 27,000 people and hundreds of subsistence farming households were affected but had not been properly compensated. The project, which was intended to divert water from Lesotho to South Africa, was first conceived during the Apartheid era when South Africa was subject to international sanctions. To avoid the difficulties of international financiers openly aiding the then-apartheid regime, the project's financial advisers – Chartered WestLB – set up a London-based trust fund through which payments could be laundered.<ref>'Corruption in Southern Africa - Sources and Solutions,' Lori Pottinger, 10.07.00. See: www.irn.org/programs/lesotho/index.asp?id=/programs/lesotho/chatham.01.html. Viewed: 26.01.04</ref>
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===Caithness Solutions===
  
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AMEC is currently involved in the construction of the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline along with BP. Its responsibility in the project is to build a section through a Georgian national park. The national park produces Borjomi Mineral Water which is Georgia's largest export.<ref>'Amec: Counter Report 2002,' Friends of the Earth. See: www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/amec_counter_report_2002.pdf. Viewed: 04.03.04</ref>
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Dounreay, in Caithness, the site of the UK’s research into fast breeder reactors, was originally run by the [[UK Atomic Energy Authority]] (UKAEA). In 2005 the NDA took ownership and responsibility for the liabilities at Dounreay. UKAEA became a contractor to the NDA carrying out decommissioning work at Dounreay.  
  
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It is also part of the consortium working on Britain's first toll motorway – the Birmingham Northern Relief Road. The consortium expects to receive more than £2bn from people using it. The road will destroy 27 miles of the West Midlands green belt and damage two SSSIs.<ref>'Amec: Counter Report 2002,' Friends of the Earth. See: www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/amec_counter_report_2002.pdf. Viewed: 04.03.04 </ref> AMEC also has an 11% interest in the Cross Israel Highway Concession.
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The UKAEA set up the [[Pentland Alliance]] with AMEC and [[CH2MHill]] in 2006, to explore joint opportunities in the nuclear decommissioning market. <ref> [http://www.dounreay.com/UserFiles/File/archive/Dounreay%20Bulletin/Bulletin%2026%20January%202006.pdf Dounreay Bulletin], 26th January 2006, accessed August 2012.</ref>  [[Babcock International]] bought UKAEA Ltd for £38 million in September 2009. AMEC then left the group which was re-named Babcock Dounreay Partnership, and [[URS]] replaced it. <ref> [http://www.neimagazine.com/story.asp?storyCode=2055943 Amec out, URS in at Dounreay for now]. Nuclear Engineering International 1 April 2010, accessed August 2012.</ref>  
  
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==Nuclear Lobbying==
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AMEC Nuclear Holdings Ltd (NNL) and [[Energy Solutions]] EU Ltd made up Caithness Solutions which was one of two preferred bidders chosen by the NDA to run Dounreay in 2010. However in April 2012 [[Babcock Dounreay Partnership]], comprising [[Babcock Nuclear Services]] Ltd, [[CH2M Hill]] [[International Nuclear Services]] Ltd, and [[URS]] International Holdings (UK) Ltd, were awarded the contract. <ref> [http://www.nda.gov.uk/contracts/competition/dounreay/index.cfm Dounreay Site Restoration PBO Competition], Nuclear Decommissioning Authority 2nd April 2012, accessed August 2012 and [http://www.amec.com/page.aspx?pointerid=51f10593b849456c8baa81a2cad0f7d4 Amec and Energy Solutions combine to bid for Dounreay clean-up contract], Amec Press Release 20th May 2010 </ref>
  
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On March 23, 2005 it invited some of Britain's most senior business journalists for breakfast at the St Stephen's Club in Westminster. Speakers at the event included [[David King]], the government chief scientist, [[Brian Wilson]], the former energy minister, and [[Dipesh Shah]], chief executive of the [[United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority]], who made a pitch for nuclear energy in order "to stop the lights going out". <ref>Jonathan Leake and Dan Box, [http://afr.com/articles/2005/05/26/1116950813750.html "When PR goes nuclear"], ''New Statesman'', 27 May, 2005.</ref>
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==Nuclear new build==
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In 2011 AMEC won an 11-year consultancy contract for [[EDF Energy]]’s nuclear new build projects in the UK. It will support their 'architect engineering' operation for the proposed delivery of four new EPR nuclear reactors at [[Hinkley Point]] and [[Sizewell]]. <ref> [http://www.amec.com/page.aspx?pointerid=9df00cdf4d8e4f2aacff0f2b237fec4e AMEC awarded 11-year contract with EDF for new UK nuclear power stations], AMEC website, press release dated 22 April 2010, acc 15 August 2012 </ref>
  
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==A Lucrative Nuclear Waste Clean up==
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AMEC has worked on the build of every civil nuclear power station dating back to the 1950s in the UK and  also works globally, supporting nuclear operators on life extension, operational improvement and new reactor build programmes. In Canada, it is a partner in a team undertaking a multi-billion dollar project to restart the Bruce Reactors in Ontario. <ref> [http://www.amec.com/sectors/nuclear/new_build/overview.htm New Build], Amec website. Accessed August 2012.</ref>
  
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A consortium including AMEC, British Nuclear Group Project Services, NIS Ltd, DGP International, and Weir Strachan & Henshaw was chosen to build a £100 million pound facility at the nuclear plant at Dounreay to treat fast reactor fuel reprocessing wastes. The project is the largest project yet to be undertaken by the [[Nuclear Decommissioning Agency]]. <ref>''Nuclear News Flashes,'' 6 January, 2006. Not online.</ref>
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==Lobbying firms retained==
  
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AMEC is also said to have teamed up with the [[UKAEA]] and the American company [[CH2M]] in order to bid for £56bn worth of clean-up work at Britain's civil nuclear sites. The work, including decommissioning 20 electricity generation, fuel reprocessing and nuclear research sites is said to be valued at £2bn a year.  
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[[Tetra Strategy]] has provided public affairs consultancy services to AMEC since August 2007, when it won the account previously handled by [[Good Relations]].<ref name="Tetra"> [http://www.tetra-strategy.co.uk/news/id/15/title/PR%20Week%20-%20AMEC%20drops%20Good%20Relations%20to%20follow%20O%E2%80%99Keefe PR Week - AMEC drops Good Relations to follow O’Keefe], Tetra Strategy website, acc 10 August 2012 </ref><ref> APPC Register Entry for 30 November 2010 to 28 February 2011, and APPC Register Entry for 1 March 2011 to 31 May 2011, APPC Register Entry for 1 Sep 2011 to 30 Nov 2011, APPC Register Entry for 1 Dec 2011 to 29 Feb 2012, APPC Register Entry 1 March to 31 May 2012, APPC Register Entry 1 March to 31 May 2012, [http://www.appc.org.uk/members/register/register-profile/?company=Tetra%20Strategy APPC Register Entry 1 March to 31 May 2013] </ref> Tetra told ''PR Week'' it would "lobby ministers and officials to ensure that AMEC’s name is in the frame when major public infrastructure projects are discussed" and would lobby on nuclear power as AMEC is a major player in the new build of nuclear power stations in the UK. Tetra's people include disgraced former Tory MP [[Julie Kirkbride]] and former Tory MP Sir [[Richard Needham]]. <ref> APPC Register Entry for 1 Sep 2011 to 30 Nov 2011 </ref>
  
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The AMEC partnership faced fierce competition from [[British Nuclear Group]], which operated [[BNFL]]'s four sites including Sellafield, as well as a host of foreign companies such as the controversial American company [[Bechtel]], [[Fluor]], and the French firm Cogema. <ref> Michael Harrison, [http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article339105.ece "Amec Alliance Eyes up £56bn Nuclear Clean-up Contracts"], ''The Independent'', 17 January, 2006. </ref>
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On 23 March 2005 AMEC helped launch the push for a nuclear renaissance in the run up to the May 2005 General Election by inviting some of Britain's most senior business journalists for breakfast at the St Stephen's Club in Westminster. Speakers at the event included [[David King]], the government chief scientist, [[Brian Wilson]], the former energy minister, and [[Dipesh Shah]], chief executive of the [[United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority]], who made a pitch for nuclear energy in order "to stop the lights going out". <ref>Jonathan Leake and Dan Box, [http://afr.com/articles/2005/05/26/1116950813750.html "When PR goes nuclear"], ''New Statesman'', 27 May, 2005.</ref>
  
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CH2M Hill is a leading engineering company that has been cited by American Democrats as having a "conflict of interest" in its work in Iraq.<ref>Larry Margasak, [http://v6.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E27059%257E2156143,00.html Lawmakers Cite CH2M Hill Conflict of Interest in Iraq Contract], ''Denver Post'', 18 May, 2004.</ref> Its new president is the  former American Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Jessie Roberson. <ref>''Nuclear News Flashes,'' January 20, 2006. Not online.</ref>
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As of 2014, Tetra Strategy and [[Instinctif Partners]] (former [[College Group]]) was listed on the PRCA Register as AMEC's public affairs agency. <ref>PRCA REgister, March-May 2014 </ref>
  
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==A Conflict of Interest On Waste And New Build? ==
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==A conflict of interest on waste and new build? ==
  
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See [[CoRWM]] pages on AMEC's role on the supposedly independent committee. AMEC NNC has been acting as CoRWM’s programme manager, as well as managing the discussion at its plenary meetings, organizing its public consultation and procurements procedures as well as its PR company, Luther Pendragon. In fact Luther Pendragon is not contracted to CoRWM at all, but to AMEC NNC.  
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Also see [[CoRWM]] pages on AMEC's role on the supposedly independent committee. Before publication of its July 2006 report, which recommended deep geological disposal for nuclear waste, '''AMEC NNC''' had been acting as CoRWM’s programme manager, as well as managing the discussion at its plenary meetings, organising its public consultation and procurements procedures as well as its PR company, [[Luther Pendragon]]. In fact Luther Pendragon was not contracted to CoRWM at all, but to AMEC NNC.  
 
   
 
   
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So here is a nuclear company with a vested interest in new build acting as consultants to the committee that is deciding what to do with nuclear waste, which is one of the last roadblocks in the way of new build. This is admitted by AMEC. In an article entitled “Waste management strategy critical for nuclear new build” Sam Usher from AMEC NNC tells the company’s in house magazine “There is an argument that you shouldn’t build new nuclear power stations if you can’t manage the waste from existing ones”. <ref>[http://www.amec.com/uploadfiles/FurtherInformationDocuments/InTouch_2006_issue3.pdf In Touch Magazine]</ref>
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So here was a nuclear company heavily involved in lobbying for a nuclear renaissance in the run up to the 2005 General Election, also acting as consultants to the committee which was deciding what to do with nuclear waste - one of the last roadblocks in the way of new build.
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==Nuclear affiliations==
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*[[Nuclear Research and Development Advisory Board]] - Professor [[Nawal Prinja]], Technical Director of AMEC Nuclear, sits on this ad-hoc group made up of civil servants and industry people, set up in 2012
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*Law firm [[Pinsent Masons]] advised on AMEC's purchase of Serco's nuclear services group
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==Other issues==
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===UK fracking study===
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{{‪Template:Fracking badge}}‬AMEC is carrying out a research project entitled: 'Understanding the potential impacts of shale gas fracking on the UK water industry'. Commissioned by [[UK Water Industry Research]] ([[UKWIR]]), this will run from December 2012 until March 2014. The purpose is 'to better understand the potential risks and opportunities to the UK water industry posed by future shale gas extraction'.
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AMEC says it is:
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:ideally placed to undertake this research having been delivering full scale unconventional gas extraction projects, including some for shale gas, for a number of years in North America, Australia, Asia and South Africa. AMEC has very strong links to the UK water industry and has already developed a leading position in providing advice to UK regulators on impacts from shale gas, and are currently working with the [[European Commission]] to assess the need for a risk management framework for policies around unconventional gas extraction.
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The company expect that:
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:As a result of this work, the industry will be able to enter into discussions and negotiations with regulators, government and shale gas operators from an informed position. The work will enable the industry to respond consistently and sensibly to planning inquiries. The water industry will also gain an understanding of potential opportunities in terms of water supply and waste water treatment and will be able to plan accordingly. <ref> [http://www.amec.com/aboutus/projects/water/shale-gas-fracking.htm Understanding the potential impacts of shale gas fracking on the UK water industry], AMEC, acc 18 December 2013 </ref>
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===Dams and pipelines===
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In 2003, when AMEC announced that it had 99.96% approval for the takeover of the French firm [[SPIE Batignolles]], eyebrows were raised. At the time, SPIE was in the middle of a court case involving bribery allegations in the construction of a controversial dam as part of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. High ranking officials at the project were imprisoned for taking bribes from multinationals including SPIE and Canada's [[Acres International]].<ref>'Bribery row mars Amec's ballot win,' Terry Macalister, The Guardian, 06.02.03. See: www.odiousdebts.org/odiousdebts/index.cfm?DSP=content&ContentID=6502. Viewed: 23.01.04</ref>
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The dam scheme in southern Africa attracted the attention of environmentalists who claimed that 27,000 people and hundreds of subsistence farming households were affected but had not been properly compensated. The project, which was intended to divert water from Lesotho to South Africa, was first conceived during the Apartheid era when South Africa was subject to international sanctions. To avoid the difficulties of international financiers openly aiding the then-apartheid regime, the project's financial advisers – Chartered WestLB – set up a London-based trust fund through which payments could be laundered.<ref>'Corruption in Southern Africa - Sources and Solutions,' Lori Pottinger, 10.07.00. See: www.irn.org/programs/lesotho/index.asp?id=/programs/lesotho/chatham.01.html. Viewed: 26.01.04</ref>
  
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AMEC NNC has a vested interest in both decommissioning and nuclear new build, a fact implicitly recognized by AMEC NNC about its CoRWM contract. “This is a high profile contract that puts AMEC at the leading edge of developing nuclear strategy – not only in the waste management industry, but to have an influence on new build”...  
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AMEC was also involved in the construction of the [[Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline]]. Its responsibility in the project was to build a section through a Georgian national park which is the source for Georgia's largest export, [[Borjomi Mineral Water]]. <ref>'Amec: Counter Report 2002,' Friends of the Earth. See: www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/amec_counter_report_2002.pdf. Viewed: 04.03.04</ref>
  
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At the same time as working for CoRWM, AMEC NNC is promoting is own patented technology for radioactive waste. “One technology that might help with the problem of radioactive waste is GeoMelt®, a propriety AMEC technology”. A paper discussing the GeoMelt technology has even been discussed at CoRWM meetings.  
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It was also part of the consortium that built Britain's first toll motorway – the Birmingham Northern Relief Road. The consortium expects to receive more than £2bn from people using it. The road destroyed 27 miles of the West Midlands green belt and damaged two SSSIs.<ref>'Amec: Counter Report 2002,' Friends of the Earth. See: www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/amec_counter_report_2002.pdf. Viewed: 04.03.04 </ref> AMEC also has an 11 per cent interest in the [[Cross Israel Highway Concession]].
  
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AMEC NNC has a dedicated section on its website talking about “the benefits our history brings to Nuclear New Build” where the company states it “has a skilled, competent and well-balanced workforce committed to supporting the UK Nuclear Industry and we are eagerly looking forward to the opportunity to use our abilities in support of new nuclear plants”. <ref>AMEC NNC Website [http://www.amecnnc.com/Default.aspx?page=345 The Benefits Our History Brings to Nuclear New Build]</ref> <ref>AMEC, [http://www.amecnnc.com/PDF/Nuclear%20broch%20100306%20v3.pdf Shaping the Future: Reactor Technology Services]</ref>
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===Iraq contracts===
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In 2003 AMEC's chief executive at the time, Sir [[Peter Mason]], said prior to the war on Iraq: "If there is a war, we might see more work afterwards. We were involved in Kuwait the last time." In 2004 it was awarded major reconstruction contracts in Iraq. <ref> AMEC, [http://www.amec.com/page.aspx?pointerid=aac1710157d3477999346c962d371dfa AMEC Wins Major Contracts to Restore Public Works and Water Infrastructure in Iraq] Press Release, 24 March, 2004. </ref>
  
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==UK lobbyists==
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==People==
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*[[Tetra Strategy]] lists AMEC as a client on the APPC register from November 2010 until Feb 2012 <ref>
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*[[Marc Boulter]] - VP Transmissions & Distribution Services AMEC
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APPC Register Entry for 30 November 2010 to 28 February 2011, and APPC Register Entry for 1 March 2011 to 31 May 2011, APPC Register Entry for 1 Sep 2011 to 30 Nov 2011, APPC Register Entry for 1 Dec 2011 to 29 Feb 2012 </ref>
 
  
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==Resources==
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==Legal and lobbying consultancies retained==
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*[http://archive.corporatewatch.org/profiles/amec/amec2.html Products and Projects]
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*[[Berwin Leighton Paisner]] (law firm)
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*[http://archive.corporatewatch.org/profiles/amec/amec3.html Who, Where, How Much?]
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*[[Tetra Strategy]]
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*[http://archive.corporatewatch.org/profiles/amec/amec4.html Influence / Lobbying]
 
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*[[AMEC: Use of Lobby Groups]]
 
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*[http://archive.corporatewatch.org/profiles/amec/amec5.html Corporate Crimes]
 
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*Friends of the Earth UK has done many articles and a briefing on AMEC. See: http://www.foe.org.uk/ Do a search on AMEC on the FoE website.
 
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*A resource on corporations and dambuilding: 'Dams Incorporated, The Record of Twelve European Dam Building Companies', February 2000, A Report by The CornerHouse, Chris Lang, Nick Hildyard, Kate Geary, Matthew Grainger, Published by The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation.
 
  
 
==Website==
 
==Website==
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[[Category:Civil nuclear industry]] [[Category:pro-nuclear companies]][[Category: Transnational Corporations]][[Category:Construction Industry]][[Category:Corporate Memberships Database]]
 
[[Category:Civil nuclear industry]] [[Category:pro-nuclear companies]][[Category: Transnational Corporations]][[Category:Construction Industry]][[Category:Corporate Memberships Database]]
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[[Category:Nuclear Spin]]
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[[Category:Nuclear Spin]][[Category:Revolving Door]][[Category:Nuclear revolving door]][[Category:Fracking]][[Category:Water]]

Latest revision as of 05:32, 16 April 2015

Nuclear spin.png This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch.

AMEC is one of Britain's leading engineering project management and consultancy companies, listed on the London Stock Exchange and the FTSE 100. It operates in some 700 locations and 40 countries across the globe. [1]

Background

AMEC employed over 27,000 people in over 40 countries in 2012. In 2011, 70 per cent of AMEC's turnover was generated outside of the UK. Nuclear work was only eight per cent of its turnover. A similar percentage comes from renewables and bioprocessing, which includes biofuels and biomass. [2]

AMEC has worked in the nuclear sector since the birth of the industry almost 60 years ago and today employs over 3000 specialists in this field. [3] It says it is "the largest UK private sector supplier of programme management and engineering services and programme and asset management to the nuclear industry”. [4]

Clients as of 2012 include Sellafield Ltd, OPG, Bruce Power, AWE Aldermaston, Rolls Royce, BAE, and EDF Energy which now incorporates British Energy. Past clients include the British Nuclear Group and UKAEA and a wide range of international nuclear operators'.[3]

In June 2012 AMEC bought Serco Group plc’s nuclear Technical Services Group (TSG) business for £137 million. TS is based at a number of sites in the UK and has around 600 staff providing consulting and project solutions for customers including the Ministry of Defence, EDF, Magnox Ltd and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. [5] Serco notes that Serco itself will continue to serve the defence and science sectors, notably AWE and the National Nuclear and National Physical laboratories. [6]

AMEC's nuclear partnerships

Nuclear Management Partners

Amec is part of Nuclear Management Partners (NMP), a consortium with American company URS, and French company Areva, which runs Sellafield Ltd, managing and operating the Sellafield site in West Cumbria, Capenhurst in Cheshire and the engineering design capability based at Risley in Warrington on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). [7]

The Sellafield nuclear site was previously owned and operated by British Nuclear Fuels Ltd, but all its nuclear sites were transferred to the NDA in 2005, and BNFL was abolished in 2010. The NDA is a non-departmental public body which does not directly manage the facilities it owns, but contracts out the delivery of management and decommissioning operations to private contractors. In the case of Sellafield, NMP is currently contracted to run reprocessing and nuclear waste management activities.

Richard Caborn, a former Labour trade minister was appointed a non-executive director of Nuclear Management Partners in 2007.

In 2013 Sellafield's owner, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), expressed disappointment at NMP'’s running of the site and in August 2013 was reportedly deciding whether to renew NMP's contract, to re-tender it, or to take over the management itself. [8]

Amec, although admitting NMP's failings, claimed to have delivered “good value” in managing nuclear waste clean-up operations at Sellafield and remained “optimistic” of retaining the £22bn contract. [8]

Its optimism proved well-founded - in early October 2013 the NDA announced that it would renew the contract, despite the fierce public criticism. The NDA said it wanted to give NMP further time to make "significant improvements". According to the NDA's chief executive officer John Clarke,

Sellafield is by far the most complex and challenging site in our portfolio, and we are determined to drive improved performance.
The right decision is to extend the contract to give NMP further time to bring about the improvements in capability and performance at the site that we and they are looking for. We have had extensive discussions with NMP and made clear where these improvements must be made. [9]

Caithness Solutions

Dounreay, in Caithness, the site of the UK’s research into fast breeder reactors, was originally run by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). In 2005 the NDA took ownership and responsibility for the liabilities at Dounreay. UKAEA became a contractor to the NDA carrying out decommissioning work at Dounreay.

The UKAEA set up the Pentland Alliance with AMEC and CH2MHill in 2006, to explore joint opportunities in the nuclear decommissioning market. [10] Babcock International bought UKAEA Ltd for £38 million in September 2009. AMEC then left the group which was re-named Babcock Dounreay Partnership, and URS replaced it. [11]

AMEC Nuclear Holdings Ltd (NNL) and Energy Solutions EU Ltd made up Caithness Solutions which was one of two preferred bidders chosen by the NDA to run Dounreay in 2010. However in April 2012 Babcock Dounreay Partnership, comprising Babcock Nuclear Services Ltd, CH2M Hill International Nuclear Services Ltd, and URS International Holdings (UK) Ltd, were awarded the contract. [12]

Nuclear new build

In 2011 AMEC won an 11-year consultancy contract for EDF Energy’s nuclear new build projects in the UK. It will support their 'architect engineering' operation for the proposed delivery of four new EPR nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point and Sizewell. [13]

AMEC has worked on the build of every civil nuclear power station dating back to the 1950s in the UK and also works globally, supporting nuclear operators on life extension, operational improvement and new reactor build programmes. In Canada, it is a partner in a team undertaking a multi-billion dollar project to restart the Bruce Reactors in Ontario. [14]

Lobbying firms retained

Tetra Strategy has provided public affairs consultancy services to AMEC since August 2007, when it won the account previously handled by Good Relations.[15][16] Tetra told PR Week it would "lobby ministers and officials to ensure that AMEC’s name is in the frame when major public infrastructure projects are discussed" and would lobby on nuclear power as AMEC is a major player in the new build of nuclear power stations in the UK. Tetra's people include disgraced former Tory MP Julie Kirkbride and former Tory MP Sir Richard Needham. [17]

On 23 March 2005 AMEC helped launch the push for a nuclear renaissance in the run up to the May 2005 General Election by inviting some of Britain's most senior business journalists for breakfast at the St Stephen's Club in Westminster. Speakers at the event included David King, the government chief scientist, Brian Wilson, the former energy minister, and Dipesh Shah, chief executive of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, who made a pitch for nuclear energy in order "to stop the lights going out". [18]

As of 2014, Tetra Strategy and Instinctif Partners (former College Group) was listed on the PRCA Register as AMEC's public affairs agency. [19]

A conflict of interest on waste and new build?

Also see CoRWM pages on AMEC's role on the supposedly independent committee. Before publication of its July 2006 report, which recommended deep geological disposal for nuclear waste, AMEC NNC had been acting as CoRWM’s programme manager, as well as managing the discussion at its plenary meetings, organising its public consultation and procurements procedures as well as its PR company, Luther Pendragon. In fact Luther Pendragon was not contracted to CoRWM at all, but to AMEC NNC.

So here was a nuclear company heavily involved in lobbying for a nuclear renaissance in the run up to the 2005 General Election, also acting as consultants to the committee which was deciding what to do with nuclear waste - one of the last roadblocks in the way of new build.

Nuclear affiliations

Other issues

UK fracking study

FrackWell.png This article is part of the Spinwatch Fracking Portal and project

‬AMEC is carrying out a research project entitled: 'Understanding the potential impacts of shale gas fracking on the UK water industry'. Commissioned by UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR), this will run from December 2012 until March 2014. The purpose is 'to better understand the potential risks and opportunities to the UK water industry posed by future shale gas extraction'.

AMEC says it is:

ideally placed to undertake this research having been delivering full scale unconventional gas extraction projects, including some for shale gas, for a number of years in North America, Australia, Asia and South Africa. AMEC has very strong links to the UK water industry and has already developed a leading position in providing advice to UK regulators on impacts from shale gas, and are currently working with the European Commission to assess the need for a risk management framework for policies around unconventional gas extraction.

The company expect that:

As a result of this work, the industry will be able to enter into discussions and negotiations with regulators, government and shale gas operators from an informed position. The work will enable the industry to respond consistently and sensibly to planning inquiries. The water industry will also gain an understanding of potential opportunities in terms of water supply and waste water treatment and will be able to plan accordingly. [20]

Dams and pipelines

In 2003, when AMEC announced that it had 99.96% approval for the takeover of the French firm SPIE Batignolles, eyebrows were raised. At the time, SPIE was in the middle of a court case involving bribery allegations in the construction of a controversial dam as part of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. High ranking officials at the project were imprisoned for taking bribes from multinationals including SPIE and Canada's Acres International.[21]

The dam scheme in southern Africa attracted the attention of environmentalists who claimed that 27,000 people and hundreds of subsistence farming households were affected but had not been properly compensated. The project, which was intended to divert water from Lesotho to South Africa, was first conceived during the Apartheid era when South Africa was subject to international sanctions. To avoid the difficulties of international financiers openly aiding the then-apartheid regime, the project's financial advisers – Chartered WestLB – set up a London-based trust fund through which payments could be laundered.[22]

AMEC was also involved in the construction of the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline. Its responsibility in the project was to build a section through a Georgian national park which is the source for Georgia's largest export, Borjomi Mineral Water. [23]

It was also part of the consortium that built Britain's first toll motorway – the Birmingham Northern Relief Road. The consortium expects to receive more than £2bn from people using it. The road destroyed 27 miles of the West Midlands green belt and damaged two SSSIs.[24] AMEC also has an 11 per cent interest in the Cross Israel Highway Concession.

Iraq contracts

In 2003 AMEC's chief executive at the time, Sir Peter Mason, said prior to the war on Iraq: "If there is a war, we might see more work afterwards. We were involved in Kuwait the last time." In 2004 it was awarded major reconstruction contracts in Iraq. [25]

People

  • Marc Boulter - VP Transmissions & Distribution Services AMEC

Legal and lobbying consultancies retained

Website

www.amec.com

Notes

  1. ↑ Amec at a Glance, Annual Report and Accounts 2011, accessed August 2012
  2. ↑ AMEC Annual Report and Accounts 2011, accessed August 2012
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Nuclear, AMEC Website, Section on Nuclear, accessed August 2012
  4. ↑ AMEC Nuclear Brochure, accessed August 2012 (also downloadable from http://www.amec.com/documents/1_about_us/brochures_and_publications/nuclear_brochure.htm) accessed August 2012
  5. ↑ AMEC acquires Serco’s nuclear Technical Services business, AMEC News Release 29th June 2012, accessed August 2012.
  6. ↑ Disposal of Serco's Technical Services business, SERCO Press Release 29th June 2012, accessed August 2012.
  7. ↑ Nuclear Management Partners website accessed August 2012.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Amec defends Sellafield nuclear clean-up record as £22bn contract hangs in balance,The Telegraph, 8:29PM BST 11 August 2013, acc 13 Aug 2013
  9. ↑ Sellafield nuclear waste firm keeps contract despite criticism, BBC News, 4 October 2013 Last updated at 11:58 GMT, acc 29 October 2013
  10. ↑ Dounreay Bulletin, 26th January 2006, accessed August 2012.
  11. ↑ Amec out, URS in at Dounreay for now. Nuclear Engineering International 1 April 2010, accessed August 2012.
  12. ↑ Dounreay Site Restoration PBO Competition, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority 2nd April 2012, accessed August 2012 and Amec and Energy Solutions combine to bid for Dounreay clean-up contract, Amec Press Release 20th May 2010
  13. ↑ AMEC awarded 11-year contract with EDF for new UK nuclear power stations, AMEC website, press release dated 22 April 2010, acc 15 August 2012
  14. ↑ New Build, Amec website. Accessed August 2012.
  15. ↑ PR Week - AMEC drops Good Relations to follow O’Keefe, Tetra Strategy website, acc 10 August 2012
  16. ↑ APPC Register Entry for 30 November 2010 to 28 February 2011, and APPC Register Entry for 1 March 2011 to 31 May 2011, APPC Register Entry for 1 Sep 2011 to 30 Nov 2011, APPC Register Entry for 1 Dec 2011 to 29 Feb 2012, APPC Register Entry 1 March to 31 May 2012, APPC Register Entry 1 March to 31 May 2012, APPC Register Entry 1 March to 31 May 2013
  17. ↑ APPC Register Entry for 1 Sep 2011 to 30 Nov 2011
  18. ↑ Jonathan Leake and Dan Box, "When PR goes nuclear", New Statesman, 27 May, 2005.
  19. ↑ PRCA REgister, March-May 2014
  20. ↑ Understanding the potential impacts of shale gas fracking on the UK water industry, AMEC, acc 18 December 2013
  21. ↑ 'Bribery row mars Amec's ballot win,' Terry Macalister, The Guardian, 06.02.03. See: www.odiousdebts.org/odiousdebts/index.cfm?DSP=content&ContentID=6502. Viewed: 23.01.04
  22. ↑ 'Corruption in Southern Africa - Sources and Solutions,' Lori Pottinger, 10.07.00. See: www.irn.org/programs/lesotho/index.asp?id=/programs/lesotho/chatham.01.html. Viewed: 26.01.04
  23. ↑ 'Amec: Counter Report 2002,' Friends of the Earth. See: www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/amec_counter_report_2002.pdf. Viewed: 04.03.04
  24. ↑ 'Amec: Counter Report 2002,' Friends of the Earth. See: www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/amec_counter_report_2002.pdf. Viewed: 04.03.04
  25. ↑ AMEC, AMEC Wins Major Contracts to Restore Public Works and Water Infrastructure in Iraq Press Release, 24 March, 2004.
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