Office for Nuclear Development

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

Government’s ‘maximum support’ for nuclear

In September 2008, the Department for Business and Regulatory Reform launched its Office for Nuclear Development, to “facilitate new nuclear investment in the UK - making the UK the best market in the world for companies to invest in nuclear”.

The OND’s website says that its aims are to:

• enable operators to build and operate new nuclear power stations in the UK from the earliest possible date and to enable new nuclear to make the fullest contribution it is capable of, with no public subsidy, and with unnecessary obstacles removed;
• build and maintain the UK as the best market in the world for companies to do business in nuclear power;
• create and support a globally competitive UK supply chain, focusing on high value added activities to take advantage of the UK and worldwide nuclear programme.

It is advised by a new Nuclear Development Forum (see below), launched on 18 September 2008.

In the press release announcing the launch, John Hutton pledged his “maximum support” for nuclear power, adding that “energy from new nuclear generators is absolutely indispensable for keeping the UK's lights on, reducing our dependency on foreign oil and gas, and cutting carbon emissions”.

Senior staff

Its senior staff are:

• Mark Higson, Chief Executive: a career civil servant who joined BERR to head up its nuclear energy team in September 2006. Prior to this, he was deputy CEO of the Shareholder Executive, the organisation responsible for discharging the shareholder role for Government owned businesses, working initially on the creation of the organisation in the Cabinet Office and then subsequently to lead the shareholder role on Royal Mail, BNFL and the UKAEA.
• Adam Dawson, who joined BERR’s Nuclear Unit in November 2006, having previously worked on the DTI's Business Support Simplification project. He joined the Civil Service in 2005, after 19 years with Shell.
• Dr Mel Draper, who has been head of non-proliferation work at DTI/BERR since 2003. Before that he was head of central policy and support at the UK Health & Safety Executive. From 1995-2000 he was responsible for the sponsorship of UKAEA, residual interests in AEA-Technology, and general nuclear waste and decommissioning policy.
• Nicola Baggley, Director of Strategy: prior to joining the OND, Baggley was in the Government's Shareholder Executive where she worked on a number of portfolio companies including British Energy, the Ordnance Survey and the Royal Mint. Previous posts include the restructuring of British Energy and a secondment to investment bank Lazard & Co.
• Tim Stone, Senior Adviser to the Secretary of State for BERR and to the Chief Secretary of the Treasury on new nuclear power: he is the Chairman and founder of KPMG's Global Infrastructure and Projects Group.
• Mark Ferri: he was a senior executive on the Rocky Flats Decommissioning Project and then was named Chief Executive for CH2M Hill on the Savannah River Project. He is a previous Vice-President for Entergy, one of the largest US nuclear utilities, and spent over 10 years with Bechtel Power Corporation in various managerial positions involving design, construction and commissioning of nuclear power plants.
• Derek Lacey joined the Nuclear Unit in May 2008 from the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Directorate which he joined in 1991 after 7 years in nuclear research and development.

Living the high life

Higson, Dawson and Draper hit the headlines in February 2008 when The Independent revealed they had all enjoyed extensive hospitality from the nuclear lobby.

The three - Higson, Dawson and Draper were also amongst senior civil servants who were wined and dined over 30 occasions in the department's first five months at some of London’s most prestigious restaurants by companies with a vested interest in nuclear.

Energy companies, nuclear contractors, trade bodies, accountants, corporate strategists and legal firms took Higson and other key directors to some of London’s most exclusive venues. Bechtel, the engineering giant, paid for a reception at London’s exclusive OXO Tower, Alstom bought dinner at Madame Tussauds, while British Energy entertained three senior civil servants at a recent Burns supper at the Caledonian Club. Meanwhile, a Dutch nuclear company part owned by BNFL paid for drinks and dinner in the Netherlands.

Nuclear Development Forum

At the same time as the Office for Nuclear Development was launched, John Hutton launched the Nuclear Development Forum, which “brings together top figures from across the nuclear industry to support and advise the new Office for Nuclear Development in creating the right conditions for new nuclear power stations to be built in the UK as soon as possible”.

Another flawed consultation

In 2007, the High Court ruled that the Government’s plans to build a new generation of nuclear power stations were “unlawful” and the way it consulted with the public over the decision was “misleading, seriously flawed, manifestly inadequate and procedurally unfair”.

A year later, the Government faced more accusations that a fresh round of consultations were unfair.

In September 2008, the OND ran a series of consultations to determine the criteria for siting new nuclear power stations. events were held in London, Manchester and Bristol.

Even though the event was publicised through a publicly-accessible website, when a freelance reporter working for NuclearSpin and Private Eye applied to go he was barred the night before and told by BERR that he wasn’t a 'stakeholder' in the debate.

An article in Eye commented: “The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform clearly believes that the protest group Parents Concerned About Hinkley Point isn’t a stakeholder group either – even though it sits on the official site stakeholder group for Hinkley Point in Somerset. The group has made a formal complaint to BERR to ask why it was not invited.”

Delegate lists for the three events shows that out of the 117 atendees the vast majority were representatives from nuclear companies, their lobbyists and their consultants, along with their regulators. Only a handful of those opposed to the plans to build new nuclear stations made it in.

The presentation given by BERR at the events can be viewed here (Powerpoint file).

The Strategic Siting Assessment Consultation closed on 11th November 2008. You can find submissions from several groups here

Related Articles

The Guardian, 15 February, 2007.