Major boost for Warrington's nuclear sector

WARRINGTON’S burgeoning nuclear cluster has received a huge boost with two major businesses looking to set up in Birchwood.
International market leading nuclear and renewables solutions provider, AREVA RMC has already set up an office at Birchwood and it will hopefully soon be joined by a new joint venture established between Mace, Areva and Atkins which has been selected as preferred bidder for a £1bn contract with Sellafield.
The new joint venture will take the Sellafield project through detailed design, construction, manufacture, procurement, installation, and inactive commissioning.
The final contract award is subject to approval from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority but it is understood that the joint venture is already seeking up to 50,000 sq ft of office space at Birchwood in anticipation.
Warrington is seen by many as the birthplace of the UK’s nuclear industry and the location of world-class nuclear engineering, research, training and project delivery expertise.
More people are employed in the nuclear sector in Warrington than anywhere else in the UK.
Steve Park (pictured), managing director of Warrington and Co, the borough’s partnership for driving growth said: “This is a further boost for the town of Warrington and particularly the continued growth of our nuclear cluster.
“All the major players are here: Sellafield Ltd, Rolls Royce Nuclear, AMEC Nuclear, URS and Nuvia along with a host of smaller companies including Tenet, DBD and Boulting and it is great to welcome AREVA UK and the new joint venture of Mace Areva and Atkins.”
In June, Warrington will host Nuclear UK, a major a major event in the International Festival for Business (IFB) calendar and which is set to become a major event in the nuclear calendar.