Westinghouse commits to nuclear fuel site
MORE than 1,300 jobs have been safeguarded at a nuclear fuels production facility in Lancashire after Westinghouse said it was preparing to take a long-term lease and invest up to £100m.
The nuclear engineering company, now owned by Toshiba of Japan, has been running Springfields Fuels near Preston under a short-term arrangement since 2005.
Today Westinghouse’s president Aris Candris is expected to unveil plans for a new agreement with Springfields’ owner, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), to use the site to produce fuel for the new generation of reactors.
Westinghouse may also take on 500 more staff at the plant if any of the companies planning to build new reactors in Britain chose Westinghouse’s AP1000 reactor.
The majority of the UK’s nuclear fuel has been made at Springfields over the past 50 years but it lacks the capability to assemble fuel for modern reactors that are being developed by companies such as EDF of France and Eon and RWE of Germany.
Speaking at the annual World Nuclear Association conference in London today Mr Candris is expected to say: “This arrangement would give Westinghouse the opportunity to consider significant investment in the site as we continue to see strong signs of a nuclear renaissance, bringing with it increased demand for fuel supplies. It offers longer term security of employment to current employees, as well as the potential for new jobs in the future.
“If a successful arrangement can be agreed then the outcome will represent a positive benefit for the NDA, for Westinghouse, for the current and future employees of the site, and for the UK’s nuclear industry as a whole. Furthermore, it will cement Westinghouse’s position at the heart of the UK nuclear industry. In the meantime the Westinghouse site management at Springfields will remain fully committed to the highest standards of safe operation and regulatory compliance for which they already have an exemplary track record.”
