Difference between revisions of "United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority"

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The '''United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority''' (UKAEA) carries out nuclear fusion power research in the UK on behalf of the government. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the [[Department for Business, Innovation and Skills]].
 +
 +
It also manages the records service for the [[Nuclear Decommissioning Authority]] (NDA) at Harwell, and owns land at both the Harwell and Culham sites in Oxfordshire, "where thriving science parks have been set up".
  
 
==Background==
 
==Background==
 +
The UKAEA was established in 1954 by the UK government to oversee the country's nuclear research programme and development of the industry. In 1956 Calder Hall was commissioned by the UKAEA, turning UK into "the first country in the world to adopt nuclear power on an industrial and commercial scale". In 1957 after a fire at [[Windscale]], a nuclear complex near Calder Hall, which reportedly caused "32 deaths and 260 cases of cancer" from the leaked radiation, UKAEA changed its name to Sellafield. In 1971 [[BNFL]], the authority's production arm, split off from the UKAEA.<ref>Tim Webb, [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1983168.html "Analysis: Nuclear haze"],''Independent on Sunday'', 27 November, 2005 (subscription required).</ref>
 +
 +
From April 2005 until 2009, UKAEA worked under contract to the government's [[Nuclear Decommissioning Authority]] to decommission old nuclear plants. According to ''The Guardian'', it undertook a £8bn project to dismantle 26 research reactors and bury nuclear waste. <ref>Paul Brown, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/science/story/0,12996,1545409,00.html Ancient Egypt provides key to storing nuclear heritage], ''The Guardian'', 9 August, 2005.</ref>
 +
 +
In September 2009, the [[Babcock International Group]] paid £50 million for the UKAEA's commercial clean-up business, [[UKAEA Ltd]], reportedly narrowly outbidding [[AMEC]] and [[Babcock & Wilcox]].<ref name="cleanup"> [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/6207149/Babcock-buys-nuclear-clean-up-arm-for-50m.html Babcock buys nuclear clean-up arm for £50m], The Telegraph, acc 15 August 2012 </ref> Babcock is also now part of a consortium with [[CH2M HILL]], [[International Nuclear Services]] Ltd, and [[URS]] International Holdings (UK) Ltd that in April 2012 was awarded a £1.6bn contract by the [[Nuclear Decommissioning Authority]] for the management and decommissioning of the [[Dounreay nuclear site]] in Caithness, Scotland.<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>
  
−
[http://www.ukaea.org.uk/ '''United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority'''](UKAEA) was established in 1954 by the UK Government to oversee the country's nuclear research programme and development of the industry. In 1956 Calder Hall was commissioned by the [[UKAEA]] turning UK into "the first country in the world to adopt nuclear power on an industrial and commercial scale". In 1957 after a fire at Windscale, a nuclear complex near Calder Hall, which reportedly caused "32 deaths and 260 cases of cancer" from the leaked radiation, UKAEA changed its name to Sellafield. In 1971 [[BNFL]], the authority's production arm, split off from the UKAEA.{{ref|webbIndie}}
+
==UKAEA's record at Dounreay==
  
−
UKAEA currently oversees five of the UK's 20 nuclear sites. Since April 2005, it has worked under contract to the government's [[Nuclear Decommissioning Authority]] to decommission old nuclear plants. According to ''The Guardian'', it has undertaken a �8bn project to dismantle 26 research reactors and bury nuclear waste. {{ref|brownGuardian}}
+
Since 2010 the UKAEA has commissioned a range of current and historical short films about its work at Dounreay.
 +
Most recently in August 2013 it screened a short video about 'the story of the people who worked behind the scenes at Dounreay, supporting the scientists and engineers. It focuses on the two-year courses provided by the UKAEA for young men and women, training them for secretarial and clerical posts at the nuclear research facility'. <ref> [http://www.dounreay.com/news-room/dounreay-tv/mightier-than-the-sword Mightier than the Sword], Dounreay TV, acc 30 October 2013 </ref>
  
−
==Doubts at Dounreay==
+
Not surprisingly, none of the incidents mentioned below are included in the films.
  
−
===A Cover-up===
+
===A cover-up===
  
−
In 2005, a cementation plant at [[Dounreay]], a UKAEA facility, was closed after the spillage of hazardous, dissolved spent fuel and an investigation started. According to ''the Times'', "the discovery of nuclear particles on neighbouring beaches has led to calls for a full public inquiry into the scale of pollution at the site, while the UKAEA has been accused of a cover-up". The prototype fast reactor at Dounreay was already shut down in 1994.{{ref|listerTimes}}
+
In 2005, a cementation plant at [[Dounreay]], a UKAEA facility, was closed after the spillage of hazardous, dissolved spent fuel and an investigation started. According to ''the Times'', "the discovery of nuclear particles on neighbouring beaches has led to calls for a full public inquiry into the scale of pollution at the site, while the UKAEA has been accused of a cover-up". The prototype fast reactor at Dounreay was already shut down in 1994.<ref>David Lister, [http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article1939568.ece Nuclear tests amid fears of another leak], ''The Times'', 18 October, 2005.</ref>
  
−
This was the second scare in less than a year to hit the plant. According to the ''Daily Mail'', a Dounreay spokesman "confirmed that eight workers were being tested for suspected plutonium intake". The lab was already shut down the previous year "following a similar alarm involving 15 workers...In August, UKAEA started refresher courses following a number of radiation scares, during which contamination was detected on five workers in a week." {{ref|grantMail}}
+
This was the second scare in less than a year to hit the plant. According to the ''Daily Mail'', a Dounreay spokesman "confirmed that eight workers were being tested for suspected plutonium intake". The lab was already shut down the previous year "following a similar alarm involving 15 workers...In August, UKAEA started refresher courses following a number of radiation scares, during which contamination was detected on five workers in a week."<ref>Ian Grant, "Dounreay rocked by further nuclear scare", ''The Daily Mail'', 17 October, 2005.</ref>
  
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===A PR Stunt===
+
===A PR stunt===
  
−
In February 2006, ''The Times'' also reported how Geoffrey Minter, the owner of the Sandside estate near the Dounreay plant had banned UKAEA scientists from his land, saying that he no longer believed the UKAEA was serious about cleaning up radioactive material from the beach. Minter said he had withdrawn consent to the use of his land because the sampling exercise had degenerated into "a public relations stunt" intended "merely to give people the impression that the UKAEA was tackling the underlying hazard".{{ref|times15Feb06}}
+
In February 2006, ''The Times'' also reported how Geoffrey Minter, the owner of the Sandside estate near the Dounreay plant had banned UKAEA scientists from his land, saying that he no longer believed the UKAEA was serious about cleaning up radioactive material from the beach. Minter said he had withdrawn consent to the use of his land because the sampling exercise had degenerated into "a public relations stunt" intended "merely to give people the impression that the UKAEA was tackling the underlying hazard".<ref>'Landowner bans nuclear testing', ''The Times'', 15 February, 2006.</ref><ref>Sandside Estate, [http://www.sandsideestate.com/pressRelease.asp?releaseId=491 Sandside Owner Expels Nuclear Chiefs From Contaminated Beach], 14 February 2006, accessed 29 October 2012</ref>
  
 
==UKAEA takes its radioactive leaks on tour==
 
==UKAEA takes its radioactive leaks on tour==
  
−
In February 2006, the Authority was fined £250,000 for allowing a containment flask which contained decommissioned cancer treatment equipment to be driven 130 miles across northern England with a vital protective plug missing. Leeds Crown Court heard it was "pure good fortune" that no-one was exposed to the beam of gamma radiation, due to the fact that it happened to be pointing downwards. Counsel for the HSE told the court that the radiation dose rates measured when the lorry arrived at Windscale "were in the order of 100 to 1,000 times above what would normally be considered a very high dose rate and measurement was beyond the capabilities of normal hand-held monitoring equipment." {{ref|telegraph18Feb06}}{{ref|hallPA}}
+
In February 2006, the Authority was fined £250,000 for allowing a containment flask which contained decommissioned cancer treatment equipment to be driven 130 miles across northern England with a vital protective plug missing. Leeds Crown Court heard it was "pure good fortune" that no-one was exposed to the beam of gamma radiation, due to the fact that it happened to be pointing downwards. The court reportedly heard that the levels of radiation measured when the leak was discovered were up to 1,000 times over what would be considered a very high dose.<ref>"[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3336703/Lorry-leaked-radioactive-beam-for-three-hours.html Lorry leaked radioactive beam for three hours]", ''Daily Telegraph'', 18 February, 2006.</ref><ref>"[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1511043/Firm-is-fined-250000-for-radioactive-leak-on-lorry.html Firm is fined £250,000 for radioactive leak on lorry]", ''Daily Telegraph'', 21 February, 2006.</ref>
  
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==Spin Doctors==
+
==Spin doctors==
  
−
UKAEA has commissioned the services of the following PR companies:<br>
+
UKAEA has previously commissioned the services of the following PR consultancy companies:<br>
 
*[[Grayling Political Strategy]]  
 
*[[Grayling Political Strategy]]  
 
*[[APCO Worldwide]]  
 
*[[APCO Worldwide]]  
 
*[[Fells Associates]]
 
*[[Fells Associates]]
  
−
NuclearSpin applied for details of its lobbying and public relations activities, under the Freedom of Information Act. But UKAEA refused to reveal the information, stating that it 'would prejudice the commercial interests of the consultants'. NuclearSpin has appealed. {{ref|FOIAno}}
+
In 2006, NuclearSpin applied for details of UKAEA's lobbying and public relations activities, under the Freedom of Information Act. But UKAEA refused to reveal the information, stating that its release 'would prejudice the commercial interests of the consultants'.<ref>Letter from Andrew Munn, UKAEA's Deputy Head of Communications, 24 April, 2006.</ref>
  
−
==Key Personnel==
+
==Key people==
 
<table>
 
<table>
 
   <tr>
 
   <tr>
 
     <td>Chief Executive</td>
 
     <td>Chief Executive</td>
−
     <td>[[Dipesh Shah]]</td>
+
     <td>[[Steve Cowley]]</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
 
     <tr>
 
     <tr>
 
     <td>Chairman</td>
 
     <td>Chairman</td>
−
     <td>[[Barbara Thomas Judge]]</td>
+
     <td> [[Roger Cashmore]]</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
 
   <tr>
 
   <tr>
−
     <td>Director, Major Projects  &amp; Engineering </td>
+
     <td>Chief Operating Officer </td>
−
     <td>[[Colin Bayliss]]</td>
+
     <td>[[Martin Cox]]
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
 
   <tr>
 
   <tr>
Line 51: Line 61:
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
 
   <tr>
 
   <tr>
 +
    <td>Chief Financial Officer</td>
 +
    <td>[[Eric Hollis]]</td>
 +
  </tr>
 +
</table>
 +
 +
Former staff and board members include:
 +
<table>
 +
  <tr>
 +
    <td>Chairmen</td>
 +
    <td>[[Barbara Thomas Judge]] and [[John Collier]]</td>
 +
  </tr>
 +
  <tr>
 +
    <td>Chief Executive</td>
 +
    <td>[[Dipesh Shah]]</td>
 +
  </tr>
 +
<tr>
 
     <td>Chief Financial Officer</td>
 
     <td>Chief Financial Officer</td>
 
     <td>[[Andrew Jackson]]</td>
 
     <td>[[Andrew Jackson]]</td>
 +
  </tr>
 +
  <tr>
 +
    <td>Director of Major Projects and Engineering</td>
 +
    <td>[[Colin Bayliss]]</td>
 +
  </tr>
 +
  <tr>
 +
    <td>Director of Safety and Assurance</td>
 +
    <td>[[John Crofts]]</td>
 
   </tr>
 
   </tr>
 
</table>
 
</table>
  
−
[[John Collier]] was a former Chairman of UKAEA.
+
==Contact details==
 +
:United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
 +
:Culham Science Centre
 +
:Abingdon
 +
:Oxfordshire OX14 3DB
 +
:United Kingdom
 +
:Website: [http://www.uk-atomic-energy.org.uk/ www.uk-atomic-energy.org.uk]
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
−
 
+
<references/>
−
*{{note|davidsonST}}Andrew Davidson, [http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,10709-1668898,00.html "UK nuclear power boss radiates boundless energy"], ''The Sunday Times'', June 26, 2005
 
−
*{{note|brownGuardian}}Paul Brown, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/science/story/0,12996,1545409,00.html Ancient Egypt provides key to storing nuclear heritage], ''The Guardian'', August 9, 2005
 
−
*{{note|grantMail}}Ian Grant, "Dounreay rocked by further nuclear scare", ''The Daily Mail'', October 17, 2005
 
−
*{{note|listerTimes}}David Lister, [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1830345,00.html Nuclear tests amid fears of another leak], ''The Times'', October 18, 2005
 
−
*{{note|webbIndie}}Tim Webb, [http://www.looksmartauto.com/p/articles/mi_qn4159/is_20051127/ai_n15874042 "Analysis: Nuclear haze"],''Independent on Sunday'', November 27, 2005
 
−
*{{note|times15Feb06}}[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2040901,00.html Landowner bans nuclear testing], ''The Times'', February 15, 2006
 
−
*{{note|telegraph18Feb06}}"[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/18/nlorry18.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/02/18/ixhome.html Lorry leaked radioactive beam for three hours]", ''Daily Telegraph'', February 18, 2006.
 
−
*{{note|hallPA}}Keith Hall, "[http://www.24dash.com/content/news/viewNews.php?navID=47&newsID=3278 130-mile radioactive leak sees energy firm fined �250,000]", ''Press Association'', February 20, 2006.
 
−
* {{note|FOIAno}} Letter from Andrew Munn, UKAEA's Deputy Head of Communications, April 24, 2006.
 
  
 
[[Category:Pro-nuclear organisations]]
 
[[Category:Pro-nuclear organisations]]
 +
[[Category:Nuclear Spin]]

Latest revision as of 05:51, 30 October 2013

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

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) carries out nuclear fusion power research in the UK on behalf of the government. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

It also manages the records service for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) at Harwell, and owns land at both the Harwell and Culham sites in Oxfordshire, "where thriving science parks have been set up".

Background

The UKAEA was established in 1954 by the UK government to oversee the country's nuclear research programme and development of the industry. In 1956 Calder Hall was commissioned by the UKAEA, turning UK into "the first country in the world to adopt nuclear power on an industrial and commercial scale". In 1957 after a fire at Windscale, a nuclear complex near Calder Hall, which reportedly caused "32 deaths and 260 cases of cancer" from the leaked radiation, UKAEA changed its name to Sellafield. In 1971 BNFL, the authority's production arm, split off from the UKAEA.[1]

From April 2005 until 2009, UKAEA worked under contract to the government's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to decommission old nuclear plants. According to The Guardian, it undertook a £8bn project to dismantle 26 research reactors and bury nuclear waste. [2]

In September 2009, the Babcock International Group paid £50 million for the UKAEA's commercial clean-up business, UKAEA Ltd, reportedly narrowly outbidding AMEC and Babcock & Wilcox.[3] Babcock is also now part of a consortium with CH2M HILL, International Nuclear Services Ltd, and URS International Holdings (UK) Ltd that in April 2012 was awarded a £1.6bn contract by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority for the management and decommissioning of the Dounreay nuclear site in Caithness, Scotland.[4]

UKAEA's record at Dounreay

Since 2010 the UKAEA has commissioned a range of current and historical short films about its work at Dounreay. Most recently in August 2013 it screened a short video about 'the story of the people who worked behind the scenes at Dounreay, supporting the scientists and engineers. It focuses on the two-year courses provided by the UKAEA for young men and women, training them for secretarial and clerical posts at the nuclear research facility'. [5]

Not surprisingly, none of the incidents mentioned below are included in the films.

A cover-up

In 2005, a cementation plant at Dounreay, a UKAEA facility, was closed after the spillage of hazardous, dissolved spent fuel and an investigation started. According to the Times, "the discovery of nuclear particles on neighbouring beaches has led to calls for a full public inquiry into the scale of pollution at the site, while the UKAEA has been accused of a cover-up". The prototype fast reactor at Dounreay was already shut down in 1994.[6]

This was the second scare in less than a year to hit the plant. According to the Daily Mail, a Dounreay spokesman "confirmed that eight workers were being tested for suspected plutonium intake". The lab was already shut down the previous year "following a similar alarm involving 15 workers...In August, UKAEA started refresher courses following a number of radiation scares, during which contamination was detected on five workers in a week."[7]

A PR stunt

In February 2006, The Times also reported how Geoffrey Minter, the owner of the Sandside estate near the Dounreay plant had banned UKAEA scientists from his land, saying that he no longer believed the UKAEA was serious about cleaning up radioactive material from the beach. Minter said he had withdrawn consent to the use of his land because the sampling exercise had degenerated into "a public relations stunt" intended "merely to give people the impression that the UKAEA was tackling the underlying hazard".[8][9]

UKAEA takes its radioactive leaks on tour

In February 2006, the Authority was fined £250,000 for allowing a containment flask which contained decommissioned cancer treatment equipment to be driven 130 miles across northern England with a vital protective plug missing. Leeds Crown Court heard it was "pure good fortune" that no-one was exposed to the beam of gamma radiation, due to the fact that it happened to be pointing downwards. The court reportedly heard that the levels of radiation measured when the leak was discovered were up to 1,000 times over what would be considered a very high dose.[10][11]

Spin doctors

UKAEA has previously commissioned the services of the following PR consultancy companies:

In 2006, NuclearSpin applied for details of UKAEA's lobbying and public relations activities, under the Freedom of Information Act. But UKAEA refused to reveal the information, stating that its release 'would prejudice the commercial interests of the consultants'.[12]

Key people

Chief Executive Steve Cowley
Chairman Roger Cashmore
Chief Operating Officer Martin Cox
Director, Safety & Assurance John Crofts
Chief Financial Officer Eric Hollis

Former staff and board members include:

Chairmen Barbara Thomas Judge and John Collier
Chief Executive Dipesh Shah
Chief Financial Officer Andrew Jackson
Director of Major Projects and Engineering Colin Bayliss
Director of Safety and Assurance John Crofts

Contact details

United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
Culham Science Centre
Abingdon
Oxfordshire OX14 3DB
United Kingdom
Website: www.uk-atomic-energy.org.uk

Notes

  1. ↑ Tim Webb, "Analysis: Nuclear haze",Independent on Sunday, 27 November, 2005 (subscription required).
  2. ↑ Paul Brown, Ancient Egypt provides key to storing nuclear heritage, The Guardian, 9 August, 2005.
  3. ↑ Babcock buys nuclear clean-up arm for £50m, The Telegraph, acc 15 August 2012
  4. ↑ 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
  5. ↑ Mightier than the Sword, Dounreay TV, acc 30 October 2013
  6. ↑ David Lister, Nuclear tests amid fears of another leak, The Times, 18 October, 2005.
  7. ↑ Ian Grant, "Dounreay rocked by further nuclear scare", The Daily Mail, 17 October, 2005.
  8. ↑ 'Landowner bans nuclear testing', The Times, 15 February, 2006.
  9. ↑ Sandside Estate, Sandside Owner Expels Nuclear Chiefs From Contaminated Beach, 14 February 2006, accessed 29 October 2012
  10. ↑ "Lorry leaked radioactive beam for three hours", Daily Telegraph, 18 February, 2006.
  11. ↑ "Firm is fined £250,000 for radioactive leak on lorry", Daily Telegraph, 21 February, 2006.
  12. ↑ Letter from Andrew Munn, UKAEA's Deputy Head of Communications, 24 April, 2006.
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