Nuclear Industry Association

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

The Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) is the trade association and 'representative voice of the UK’s civil nuclear industry. It represents almost 60,000 UK nuclear workers across more than 260 member companies.

• Lobbying by the NIA in the mid-noughties

Labour government commends NIA for low carbon message

At the 2010 Energy Choices conference, the then Energy Minister Lord Hunt said that: ““I must commend the work of the NIA in helping to get the positive message across that nuclear is an essential part of a low carbon future for the UK.”

Friends in high places

In May 2010, the NIA reacted positively to the formation of the Coalition government. Although worried by the appointment of the then Energy Secretary Chris Huhne, the NIA was “particularly pleased to see the appointment of Charles Hendry to the Energy job.”

At the NIA's Summer Party at the Royal Society, Hendry applauded the efforts of the industry in readying itself for “a nuclear renaissance". “I am always impressed by the nuclear industry. I have enjoyed working with many of you in my former role in opposition – and now that I am part of this new government I look forward to working with you to deliver a secure energy future for the UK.”

The NIA was quick to spin its low-carbon message to other members of the new Coalition government. Keith Parker, the head of the NIA said: “We will continue to get our key message, that nuclear should be at the heart of the UK’s low-carbon agenda, across to the most influential audiences.” The NIA’s Public Affairs and Communications teams were said to be “busy making contact to continue representing the industry to key policymakers and politicians of influence”.

“Starting at the TUC in September and finishing with the Conservatives in Birmingham, in early October, the NIA will be exhibiting, debating, networking, defending and messaging on behalf of UK nuclear,” wrote the NIA’s then Head of Media and Public Relations at the NIA.

A year later, the NIA was also extremely active at the Party Conference season. Its newsletter described how the “NIA descended on Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester for 3 weeks of engagement with politicians, grassroots party members and other organisations.” The NIA’s favourite minister, Energy Minister Charles Hendry MP spoke to a packed out room at Conservative Party Conference. His conference speech recognised nuclear energy to be “the cheapest low-carbon source of electricity, so it can keep bills down and the lights on.“

Working with the Government on the carbon floor price

Keith Parker was quick to let slip that the NIA was seeking to lobby the government on the carbon floor price, a key mechanism by which the government might surreptitiously subsidise nuclear. “We look forward to working with Chris Huhne and his team and we note the encouraging words on setting a carbon price, something the industry is supporting, to send a clear signal to investors that low carbon technologies including renewables and nuclear play the key role in delivering the UK’s energy future.”

“We must learn lessons” of Fukushima

After the Fukushima disaster, Keith Parker, the head of the NIA wrote that the “UK has made huge progress in recent years in turning around what was generally regarded as a sunset industry, enduring a slow and not very graceful decline, into one with bright and optimistic prospects that is destined now to be a cornerstone of the nation’s energy needs well into the future".

Despite this, he praised the government’s “sensible and measured approach” in response to the catastrophic accident at Fukushima, arguing that “we have to be prepared to learn and apply the lessons of Japan just as we did the lessons of Three Mile Island and Chernobyl.”

Revolving door

In mid-June 2011, the former Secretary of State for Energy, John Hutton, became the Chair of the NIA.

The NIA’s chief executive Keith Parker said, “We are at a key point for the development of the UK’s nuclear industry and we are delighted to welcome John Hutton as our chairman. In the wake of the events in Japan we must continue to move forward with confidence and credibility - and help the UK meet it’s security of supply and climate change goals. John Hutton is recognised internationally and he is the ideal person to lead the industry forward.”

People

• Lord Hutton of Furness - Chairman from June 2011
• Keith Parker - Chief Executive from Sept 2003. Joined the NIA in 1995 from the UK Department of Trade and Industry and two years later became head of corporate communications.
• Norman Buckley Business Development Manager
• Sandra Evenden Accounts Administrator
• Alastair Evans - Communications Officer from May 2011
• Miranda Kirschel - Corporate Affairs Manager
• Hannah Grimsley - Public Affairs Officer from March 2011
• Peter Haslam - Public Policy Advisor
• Veronica Lekavicius - Head of Administration
• Stephanie McKenna - Members Relations Manager
• Nikki Powney - Member Relations and PA to the Chief Executive

Former personnel

• Martin O'Neill (Lord O'Neill of Clackmannan) was chairman for three years until June 2011
• Philip Dewhurst- Former chairman
• Simon James Communications Manager
• John McNamara

NIA Members

• ABB Limited | AECL | AK Engineering Services | Alpha Engineering | ALSTEC | AMEC Group | AMEC NNC | AN Technology | Arup | Ashurst | Atentis Limited | AT Group Ltd | Atkins Nuclear | AWE Plc | Bechtel Management Company Ltd | Birse Nuclear | BNFL | Boulting Group Plc | Bradtec Decon Technologies Ltd | British Energy Plc | British Shielding Windows Ltd | Brown and Mason Ltd | Canberra Harwell Ltd | Capula Ltd | Carillion Plc | Cee Vee Engineering Ltd | Centronic Ltd | CH2M Hill | CMS Cameron McKenna | Corbis Consulting Ltd | Corus Northern Engineering Services | Corus Process Engineering | Costain Oil, Gas and Process Ltd | Data Systems & Solution Ltd | Day & Zimmerman Ltd | DentonWildeSapte | Different by Design | DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary | E C Harris | Edmund Nuttall Ltd | Electrowatt-Ekono (UK) Ltd Energy Institute | Entec UK Ltd | Fathoms Ltd | FCx Thompson Valves | Fluor Government Group | Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd | Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer | GENII Engineering & Technology Training Ltd | Gleeds | Golder Associates (UK) Ltd | Gravatom Engineering Systems Ltd | H Smith (Engineers) Ltd | Halcrow Group Ltd | Hammonds | Herbert Smith | Hertel Services Ltd | Hochtief (UK) Construction Ltd | Hogan & Hartson | IJS Consultants | Imaging & Sensing Technology Ltd | IMI Components | Imperial College London | INBIS Group Plc | Jacobs Babtie Ltd | Jacobs Ltd | Jordan Engineering UK Ltd | KDC Group | Kier Construction | Laboratory Impex Systems
• Lumis LLP
• Marubeni Europe Plc
• McGrigors
• Mitsui Babcock Energy Ltd
• MHF Logistical Solutions
• Montgomery Watson Harza
• Mott MacDonald
• Mowlem Nuclear Services Ltd
• Nirex
• NIS Group
• Northwest Development Agency
• Norton Rose
• Norwest Holst Construction Ltd
• Nuclear Engineering Services Ltd
• Nuclear Risk Insurers Ltd
• Nuclear Technologies Plc
• Nu-Tech Associates
• One North East
• Parsons Brinckerhoff Limited
• Pinsent Masons Solicitors
• Praxis High Intergrity Systems Ltd
• Radwise Limited
• Redcliffe Ltd
• RM Consultants Ltd
• RTS Innovation Ltd
• RWE NUKEM Ltd
• Scottish Enterprise Energy Team
• SEC-UK Nuclear Ltd
• Semple Fraser
• Speechly Bircham
• SERCO Assurance
• Simmons & Simmons
• Sinclair Knight Merz
• Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd
• SMT Consulting
• Southern Scientific Ltd
• Speechly Bircham
• Studsvik UK Ltd
• Syngensis Ltd
• Taylor Woodrow Construction
• The Engineering Business Ltd
• Thermo Electron Corporation
• Tokyo Electric Power Company Inc
• Trinity May Ltd
• UKAEA
• Urenco Ltd
• URS Corporation Ltd
• VECTRA Group Limited
• Washington E&C Ltd
• Weir Strachan & Henshaw Ltd
• Weir Valves & Controls UK Ltd.
• WSP Environmental

Evidence to government committees

• Science & Technology Committee Written evidence submitted by the Nuclear Industry Association (Risk 11), 14 December 2011

Resources

• See Powerbase profile on NIA Programme Management Board
• Rob Edwards, Waiving the rules to keep the nuclear power programme on course, Private Eye, 21 March 2012

Contact

Carlton House

22a St James’s Square

London SW1Y 4JH

UK

Tel: +44(0)20 7766 6640

Fax: +44(0)20 7839 1523

Email: info@niauk.org

Documents

• S. Evenden Email Re: Labour party conference fringe event on trade 28/9/05 (pdf), 6 October, 2005.

• K. Parker Email Re: Service agreement for SONE (pdf), 8 June, 2004.