British Nuclear Fuels Limited

Background

British Nuclear Fuels plc is an UK government-owned international company involved in all stages of the nuclear process, from designing reactors and manufacturing fuel, to decommissioning reactors and dealing with radioactive waste.

It was set up by the government in 1971 as a spin-off of the UKAEA. Since 2005, it has been a holding company for British Nuclear Group, Nexia Solutions and Westinghouse.

Richard Nathan - Energy Unit at BNFL

Sell Off

In 20005 BNFL’s chairman predicted that BNFL was unlikely to exist within five years. [1]

In February 2006, BNFL sold its US nuclear clean-up division, BNG America, for £51m ($91m) to the Utah-based company Energy Solutions.

The deal quickly followed BNFL's sale of its U.S. power plant arm Westinghouse to the Japanese electronic giant Toshiba for the sum of $5.4bn (£3.1bn). Westinghouse controls Britain's only nuclear fuel manufacturing site, Springfield Fuels. [2]

BNFL's ultimate plan is said to include selling off the British Nuclear Group, leaving it with a stake in the uranium-enrichment firm Urenco and research firm Nexia Solutions. A decision will be taken at the end of March by Ministers. [3] [4]

Closing Down the Debate

Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that BNFL "wants to restrict the scope of local planning inquiries", according to The Guardian newspaper. Issues such as safety, security and environmental impact would not be discussed at public inquiries, as happens now, but behind closed doors.

The documemts show that BNFL believes the only way to guarantee that new power stations open on schedule is to fast-track the planning process by pre-licensing reactors before sites are selected. "Investment in this phase has immense leverage over subsequent phases" say the documents. "For example, it should enable a public inquiry to be assured that all safety and environmental issues have been satisfactorily addressed, enabling it to focus on local issues." [5]

PR and lobbying firms

BNFL is working hard to reposition nuclear power as a green fuel. As the Government’s Energy Review was launched, BNFL Chairman Gordon Campbell stated: “Old prejudices about the cost of nuclear power, the handling of waste, and safety concerns need to be reviewed objectively and set against the world’s desire to reduce carbon dioxide emissions�. [6]

• Weber Shandwick provided ‘consultancy services’ for BNFL during 2005. [7] The Director of Group Corporate Affairs at BNFL Philip Dewhurst used to be Weber Shandwick Worldwide's UK chief executive.

• Finsbury
• Fells Associates

Jamie Reed, MP for Copeland – a constituency that includes Sellafield – was BNFL's press officer for four years. His predecessor as MP for Copeland, Jack Cunningham, was an outspoken supporter of BNFL and nuclear power.

In the late nineties and up until 2002, Bell Pottinger Public Affairs was the main PR company providing strategic corporate communications advice. Bernard Ingham, Director of SONE also provided advice during the 1990s.

BNFL Scoops Gold at PR Event

BNFL won Gold at the 2005 North West Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Pride awards in Manchester for its "Taking the Time to Listen and Act" PR campaign. The stakeholder dialogue campaign was designed to "address international concern regarding discharges of Technetium 99 from Sellafield". [8]

Who runs BNFL?

• Gordon Campbell, Chairman – also part-time Chairman of defence firm Babcock International Group and a former Chief Executive of Courtaulds. He is also Vice-President of the pro-nuclear Royal Academy of Engineering and a visiting professor at Strathclyde University.

• Michael Parker, Chief Executive – a director of the President controversial chemical company Dow, having been its Chief Executive Officer from November 2000 to December 2002. He is also a Director of the ExxonMobil-funded climate-change skeptic organisation the National Legal Center for Public Interest in America. [9]

• David Bonser, BNFL ALFA Director - joined BNFL in 1971. He is a member of the Government’s Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee and was Chairman of UK Nirex until December 2001.

• John Edwards, Group Finance Director – the former finance director of Jaguar, Northern Electric and Meyer International plc, he is now Chairman of Magnox Electric plc.

• Lawrie Haynes, non-executive director – Haynes is CEO of British Nuclear Group Limited.

• Joe Darby, non-executive director – Darby is a non-executive director of John Mowlem & Company plc, the UK construction services company, which has interests in the nuclear industry. Formerly deputy chairman of oil firm LASMO plc.

• Bill Lowther CBE, non-executive director – former director general of UCB Films plc.

• Michael Pavia, non-executive director – former Chief Financial Officer of EDF Energy plc, Finance Director of SEEBOARD plc and Finance Director of oil firm LASMO.

Pro-Nuke Media Training

In June Belinda