Atkins completes acquisition of US business
Atkins has completed its acquisition of EnergySolutions' Projects, Products and Technology (PP&T) business, strengthening the UK-based engineering company's international multidisciplinary nuclear services capacity.
The $318 million acquisition was announced in November 2015 and was completed today after receiving the necessary approvals from North American regulators.
The PP&T business, with 650 employees, delivers a wide range of technical engineering and program management services for the decontamination and decommissioning of high-hazard government nuclear facilities. As well as designing solutions for the treatment and stabilization of high-, intermediate- and low-level wastes in North America, PP&T has a strong presence in the Asia Pacific region, and Atkins said that the technology element of the acquisition paved the way for its expansion into China, Japan and North America.
The acquisition also enhances Atkins' market presence in the UK, and will serve to strengthen its positioning for future decommissioning opportunities across Europe.
The company intends to capitalize on future developing markets through a new business structure. Atkins' Europe, Middle East and Africa nuclear division will continue to be headed by Chris Ball, who said the acquisition placed Atkins in a position as "one of the leading players in our industry".
The company's nuclear division in the Americas and Asia Pacific will be headed by PP&T's Mark Morant, who said that the acquisition marked a "step change" in Atkins' offer to clients. "We have the capability to work on almost any project, anywhere in the world. Our technology portfolio offers extensive opportunity in established and new markets alike from North America to China. It is an extremely exciting period for the business and has already opened a number of doors to future opportunities around the world," he said.
A spokesman for Atkins confirmed to World Nuclear News that small modular reactors would be a particular area of interest for the company going forward.
EnergySolutions' decision to sell the PP&T division is part of a strategy to allow the Utah-based company to place more emphasis on its core business capabilities of transportation, logistics, processing and disposal. The company has also retained its reactor decommissioning business and North American utility services. EnergySolutions CEO David Lockwood said that the completion of the sale positioned the company to better serve its customers' needs and respond to the growth opportunities in the decommissioning and decontamination market. "Our primary focus is to ensure we meet the logistics, transportation, processing and waste disposition needs for the US Department of Energy, US Navy and commercial nuclear facilities," he said.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News
