Olivier Carret, NuGen’s chief operating director, has announced the appointment of Arup as lead planning consultant for a new nuclear generation project in West Cumbria, UK. He was speaking on 5 July at the Nuclear New Build conference in London.
The announcement follows the UK government’s recent Nuclear National Policy Statement, which listed eight sites in England and Wales as being potentially suitable for the construction of new nuclear power stations, including land next to the existing Sellafield facility.
The development of new power generation in West Cumbria is being led by NuGeneration Ltd ('NuGen') and is expected to provide generating capacity of up to 3.6 GW. The planning phase begins with immediate effect and is expected to last until 2015 when NuGen will make its final investment decision. If the project is approved, the plant has a scheduled commercial operation date of 2023.
Arup’s role will include providing advice to NuGen on planning strategy, as well as working to seek consent for the proposed power station from the Infrastructure Planning Commission. The IPC was established to streamline planning decisions on nationally significant infrastructure projects, allowing local communities and other interested stakeholders to engage in the process.
Commenting on the appointment Alfio Vidal, Chief Nuclear Director of NuGen said: “The team at Arup was selected because of their extensive experience in this area. They will now work closely with NuGen on reviewing the scope of site investigations and ensuring all required consents and licenses are granted in a timely manner. They will also assist with the development of a local engagement plan to ensure the proposed activities on and around the site are communicated appropriately.
“We recognise the wealth of expertise that already exists in the area and we are committed to working in partnership with the local community to harness local knowledge and skills during the planning process. We envisage that there will be many opportunities for working together through informal regular updates and more formal consultation as required by planning regulations and we will communicate more on this as soon as we can.”
Simon Barber, leader of Arup’s nuclear business in the UK, Middle East & Africa region, commented:
“We are delighted to have been appointed by NuGen to work on this project, especially as this scheme follows on from our commission working with Somerset local authorities assessing the new nuclear generation proposals at Hinkley Point C. The planning process for nuclear sites is rigorous and Arup’s expertise combines the technical expertise needed to deliver nuclear energy projects, alongside a detailed knowledge of the planning process, having previously worked on major infrastructure projects including the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and the East London Line.
“The Arup team draws on decades of experience in delivering nuclear projects, from safety and resilience, site feasibility studies, the assessment of external hazards and the evaluation of technical proposals for new plants and multidisciplinary design services.”
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