Areva, Atkins team up for UK decommissioning
Areva has formed a joint venture with engineering and design consultancy Atkins to compete for nuclear fuel management and decommissioning projects in the UK.
Areva-Atkins Partnership UK - which will be based in Warrington, Cheshire - is expected to bid for subcontracts from companies appointed by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to manage some of its sites. Areva itself is part of Nuclear Management Partners (NMP), which was selected by the NDA in July 2008 to manage the Sellafield site. The NMP consortium also comprises URS Washington Division and Amec.
The companies did not disclose the financial terms of the joint venture agreement or specific projects that they intend to bid for when announcing their new partnership.
Dominique Mockly of Areva said that the new venture would "enable us to put our proven technology to use in meeting the challenges of UK decommissioning and strengthen Areva's footprint in the country."
Atkins (Energy) CEO Martin Grant commented, "We have been involved in the UK nuclear clean-up program since the late 1980s." He added, "The partnership we have created today will allow us to further develop skills and capabilities to support a long-term, sustainable UK nuclear industry."
Atkins has previously delivered engineering services across the NDA's sites, including the decommissioning of the first generation Magnox fuel storage pond at Sellafield.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News
