Latest news with #nuclearengineering
BBC News
25-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Cumbria's Sellafield and BAE job opportunities ‘worth move from city'
There is sometimes an assumption that the bigger the city, the better the job opportunities. But two people who left the bright urban lights for rural Cumbria speak of a very different reality. Jeremy Gilmour was working as a quantity surveyor in his home city of Birmingham back in the early 1990s when the recession hit. The only work his employer could offer him was as a contractor at Sellafield on the west coast of this was 200 miles up the road, and with a "pretty hideous" weekly commute, he felt he had little choice but to take 30 years on, however, he has climbed the ladder in the nuclear sector and taken part in what at the time was the biggest nuclear engineering job in Europe at the UK's most complex and challenging nuclear site."I don't think I would have gone near any of that if I'd stayed in the Midlands," he would have worked on "some lovely developments, some lovely office blocks, business parks or whatever" but nothing that "absolutely fascinates" him as much as what he does now. A similar fate was written in the stars for Tim Ripper, who had dreamed of designing and testing superyachts after his degree in naval architecture in he realised there was not enough demand for this he set out to find another good fit for his skills.A keen cyclist and kayaker, he knew he wanted to live somewhere that would also afford him an outdoor lifestyle, but Cumbria had not been among his options. "I was thinking, 'how do I use this degree I've got', and started to apply for various roles in naval architecture," Mr Ripper says."We were looking at opportunities elsewhere and we couldn't find anything really that gave us the same type of career opportunities and satisfaction, career development, that still would allow us to live close to the outdoors."With his wife working in Manchester, he initially considered moving to North Wales but then spotted an opening to join a graduate scheme at BAE in Barrow, working on nuclear submarines."What was fantastic about the opportunity in Cumbria is that it gave me the ability to go an work in a shipyard in a big heavy engineering environment, but also be really close to the Lakes," he says. With BAE and Sellafield employing more than 10,000 workers each directly, and thousands more engaged as contractors and supported through their supply chain, Cumbria plays a key role in the nuclear Gilmour says it offers a wealth of opportunities he would never have had, had he stayed in his native Birmingham, despite it being the second largest city in the UK. The nature of his job, he says, means he often works on "first of a kind" projects and gets to spend time at other nuclear plants around the UK. When the 58-year-old started to work at Sellafield, the Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (Thorp) was being built. "At the time it was the biggest civil engineering job in Europe and back then it was worth £2bn," he played a big part in Sellafield's reprocessing operations for two decades but, now the site is being decommissioned, Mr Gilmour has seen the plant's distinctive skyline change on taking the iconic Windscale Piles apart, when this was never part of their design, was almost like operating in "a time capsule", he says. The towers were built as part of Britain's cold-war nuclear efforts and their filters, installed at the last minute, played a key role in avoiding a disaster when one of them caught fire in 1957."The history of them is fantastic, the innovation from the 1940s to the 1950s and the things they did then were incredible," says Mr Gilmour. Mr Gilmour also made the effort of cycling up Cold Fell one Sunday morning to witness the demolition of Calder Hall's cooling towers, part of the world's first full-scale nuclear power station and a very recognizable feature on the West Cumbrian horizon. "I saw it before you heard the explosion, because we were two or three miles away," he says."A puff of smoke and then we saw these cooling towers going down. It changed the skyline of the site in five minutes." As much as the physical changes, Mr Gilmour has had a hand in the evolution of nuclear strategy. He has worked with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) since it was created 20 years ago to oversee the clean-up of 17 nuclear sites across the country."I think I've probably done 10 quite different jobs during that time, all evolutions of the previous ones," he he works as head of community and economic development at the NDA, working on projects like the soon-to-be-opened Edge in Whitehaven - a new water activity centre funded with nuclear money. The chance of a "brilliant and varied" career was also something that encouraged Mr Ripper to settle in Cumbria. While he has been at BAE, he has worked in engineering, commissioning, operations and manufacturing, and has also spent time aboard the experience came full circle when the company's training academy opened in 2018 and gave him the chance to help train about 250 apprentices a year."Sometimes it can feel like a very out-on-a-limb part of the country but, actually, there are plenty of opportunities here - it's really exciting," he says. Because the 39-year-old's job involves the UK's defence, there are things about it he cannot freely discuss with friends and family."It's not like we're poring over top secret documents and reading top secret information, but there are certain things we wouldn't be allowed to share," he says."People like to ask questions like how fast can a submarine go and how deep can it go and it's stuff like that, but to be honest, most people in the business aren't actually privy to that information."He says his job provided the perfect marriage between working on submarines in a shipyard and living his best outdoor life with his wife and two family live in Eskdale - in the heart of the Lake District - and Mr Ripper says he loves to have the opportunity to take the children camping and walking whenever he wants. Mr Gilmour is also hooked on the "incredible scenery" but, coming to Whitehaven from landlocked Birmingham, there is something else he would find hard to give up."As a Midlander born and bred I still find seeing the sea every day just great," he says. "On a nice day there is just no better place to be."He and Mr Ripper have both found niche job satisfaction and a rural lifestyle they would not have had without moving to Mr Gilmour discovered something else important in the he arrived at Sellafield his wife, Joanne, was working in the office next door. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
CBC
14-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Nuclear Waste Management Organization begins site selection process for 2nd deep geological repository
The Canadian government has yet to decide whether it would allow recycling spent nuclear fuel in the country, as the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) announces it will be engaging with the public to choose a site for the nation's second deep geological repository. The nuclear energy organization has launched a two-year public engagement process — which will focus on both technical safety and community willingness — to refine the site selection strategy. The formal site selection process is expected to begin around 2028. Akira Tokuhiro, a nuclear engineering professor at Ontario Tech University, said the announcement reflects strategic foresight, but he said Canada is still focused on permanent disposal, unlike other countries who are pursuing a different approach — reprocessing and reusing spent nuclear fuel. "One thing that I learned on my visit to the French site in 2013, is used fuel or nuclear waste or the spent fuel has to be reusable or retrievable," he said. "They have the technical means today to reprocess that fuel and put it back in the reactor and to extract more energy." Finland is one of the first countries to license a permanent repository with the option of retrieval. France goes further, reprocessing its spent fuel to extract more energy, a practice rarely discussed in Canada despite being technically feasible. "Canada certainly has the technical capability. It doesn't mean that it has the facilities, but it has the capability and the know-how and the smart people to recycle that or reuse that spent fuel," said Tokuhiro. "Even today, Canada is choosing not to make that commitment." While reprocessing is more expensive up front, he said, it's arguably more climate-friendly. But Canada, like many nations, has embraced a "once-through" cycle: mine uranium, use it once, and store the waste indefinitely. The reason Canada hasn't followed France's lead, Tokuhiro said, comes down to economics. "That is overall cheaper than it is to recycle. This is the same problem as plastic," he said. Reprocessing spent nuclear fuel would still generate waste Dave Novog, professor, engineering physics at McMaster University, said the current Canadian model has "proved pretty attractive" because it means Canada does not rely on anyone else in the world for its fuel or for reprocessing technology. "I think that's been a good decision so far when it comes to fuel recycling and the sort of advanced reactors that are needed to do that," Novog told CBC Thunder Bay. "Those reactors, at least in my opinion, are in their infancy and it would be a huge risk for us to sort of say those reactors will eventually come and save our waste problem." Novog said he likes the government's and the NWMO's approach, noting that "these repositories take anywhere from 30 to 40 to even 50 years to construct. And so by that time, if these advanced reprocessing technologies are attractive and commercially viable, we can always move in that direction." Novog added that by reprocessing spent nuclear fuel would still generate some waste. "We will still have to deal with and solve a lot of that waste, so I think if nuclear is really going to double or triple its capacity like they talked about in the COP agreements, we're going to be generating more waste and it's important that we have a solution for it," he said. 'Canada is planning for the future' Commissioning a second deep geological repository is part of an initiative aimed at addressing the long-term storage of intermediate- and non-fuel high-level radioactive waste from equipment and components used inside nuclear reactors and medical isotope byproducts, as well as waste from future nuclear reactors. The first repository in the Township of Ignace will store used nuclear fuel from used reactors. "There is international scientific consensus that a deep geological repository is the safest way to manage intermediate- and high-level waste over the long-term," said Laurie Swami, president and CEO of the NWMO, emphasizing the need for a permanent solution. "Canada is planning for the future." Currently, Canada's intermediate- and high-level waste is stored on an interim basis, so these solutions are not considered suitable for long-term containment. The new repository will be designed to store waste deep underground, in line with international practices for managing high-level nuclear waste. Site selection for the second repository will be guided by both technical criteria, such as geological suitability and community support. The NWMO has emphasized that community consent and Indigenous consultation will be central to the process. WATCH | Canada's permanent nuclear waste dump, 'Forever chemicals': Canada's permanent nuclear waste dump, 'Forever chemicals' 1 year ago Duration 25:25 The two-year engagement period will include public consultations, cultural verification studies, and collaboration with Indigenous communities. "We understand that many communities are getting a lot of requests to engage on major projects. And so, we want to make sure that we have the time to get meaningful input and have a meaningful discussion on the siting process before implementing it," said Joanne Jacyk, director of site selection at the NWMO. For now, the NWMO is encouraging Canadians and Indigenous peoples to learn more or take part in the engagement process by visiting the NWMO's website or contacting the organization at ILW@
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sizewell C will be 'colossal for job opportunities'
Young people will benefit from a "colossal" jobs boom during and beyond the construction of Sizewell C nuclear power station, local educators believe. On Tuesday, the government announced it would be investing a further £14.2bn into the energy project on the Suffolk coast, which Chancellor Rachel Reeves said would "kickstart" economic growth. Bosses say Sizewell C will support up to 70,000 jobs across the UK once completed and 1,500 apprenticeships have been pledged - designed to provide the skills needed for a career in nuclear engineering. East Coast College student Skye Dorward credited Sizewell with "increasing the number of opportunities and pathways" into the industry for young people. Engineering student Ms Dorward, 19, has secured a nuclear engineering degree apprenticeship with EDF, the French state-owned firm that will build the third Sizewell plant, which she hopes will lead to a job there. "The work and educational prospects it offers to young people is so great," she said. "The challenges and opportunities Sizewell C is presenting are outstanding, so coming back to Suffolk to work on Sizewell C would be really good. "I would love the chance to work on that project." Sizewell C will be a two-reactor nuclear power station that could generate 3.2 gigawatts of electricity for 60 years. But it is not just nuclear engineering roles that will need to be filled. The wider Sizewell C project will require workers from several industries - including construction, catering,d digital marketing, IT and hospitality. The chancellor called it a "landmark decision" to invest £14.2bn, while Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the investment was necessary to usher in a "golden age of clean energy". While it will take at least a decade to complete, Reeves said it would be the "biggest nuclear building programme in a generation". Sizewell C was originally estimated to cost £20bn. However, industry experts predicted that could double - a claim that was rejected by EDF, which is also building the new Hinkley Point plant in Somerset that has gone over budget. Investment into Sizewell C came in a series of announcements in the run-up to the government's Spending Review. Sizewell C nuclear plant gets £14bn go-ahead from government Updates: Local and national reaction to Tuesday's announcement of £14.2bn investment No blank cheque for Sizewell C says Starmer, as £14.2bn investment confirmed Emma Taylor, director of business development and major projects at Suffolk New College, said Sizewell C posed a "colossal opportunity for great new jobs". The college and Sizewell have long worked together to develop curricula that will give students the best chance of capitalising on the jobs the plant could generate. What is Sizewell C and what does it mean for Suffolk? "We have been really integral to their conversations about what are the key roles that are going to be needed to enable this project," Ms Taylor told the BBC. "A number of our students really see the opportunities [Sizewell C offers] and that is growing and we're absolutely passionate to enable [them to pursue] those opportunities. "There is a growth in the number of young people applying for construction courses and we are no exception – we've had real growth in that area, which is fantastic." Leiston was once a thriving manufacturing town but, in more recent years, many feel it has lacked the capacity to provide career opportunities. According to the ONS, 79.1% of people in East Suffolk, however, were already in paid work or had a job, with an average weekly wage of £604. Julia Pyke, managing director of Sizewell C, told the BBC she was "committed" to ensuring at least one third of the workforce was made of local people. "There will be a lot of high quality jobs in an area which is quite remote and where there isn't currently enough high quality employment," she said. Phil Stittle, executive director of business and skills at West Suffolk College, said he was determined to ensure anyone could benefit from the jobs boom. "As an educator, we need to ensure the next generation understands that [Sizewell C] is going to be a great option for people to go and work at," he told the BBC. "But we also work with a lot of different agencies that support adult retraining, those that come from the military and prison and even care leavers. "We are looking to make sure we are not leaving anybody behind by training everyone that we can to support that big need [for jobs]. "I think the positives of Sizewell C far outweigh the negatives." At the construction's height, the project will command the expertise and labour of 10,000 people – about 4,000 more than actually live in nearby Leiston. For locals, this has long proved a concern, with some worried about whether or not the town will be able to cope with such an influx of people. Some also fear the workforce demand at Sizewell C will dry up the employment pool available for local businesses. Jenny Kirtley, from Together Against Sizewell C, said: "I think it will have a huge impact on local businesses. "Whether it's building firms or in hospitality, people cannot match the Sizewell C money and the wages they are paying." But Sizewell C joint managing director, Ms Pyke, disagrees. "We are offering people progression and by investing in education and training we hope the amount of people wanting to work in East Suffolk increases so that all needs can be met," she said. "We are not going to be paying out of line wages to people for similar jobs or luring people from their current jobs." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. What is Sizewell C and what does it mean for Suffolk? Sizewell C boss 'optimistic' it will get go-ahead 'Greedy landlords are cashing in and forcing us out of town' Sizewell C pledged to lower bills but will take at least 10 years No blank cheque for Sizewell C says Starmer, as £14.2bn investment confirmed East Coast College West Suffolk College Suffolk New College Sizewell C Together Against Sizewell C
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
'Sizewell C will be colossal for job opportunities in Suffolk'
Students in Suffolk will benefit from a "colossal" jobs boom during and beyond the construction of Sizewell C, local educators C bosses say the project will support as many as 70,000 jobs across the UK once complete, with 10,000 workers required throughout the peak of the part of the development 1,500 apprenticeships have also been pledged, designed to equip the next generation with the skills needed for a career in nuclear Coast College student Skye Dorward credited Sizewell C with "increasing the number of opportunities and pathways" into the industry for young people. Engineering student Ms Dorward, 19, has secured a nuclear engineering degree apprenticeship with EDF, which she hopes will lead to a job at the plant."The work and educational prospects it offers to young people is so great," she said."The challenges and opportunities Sizewell C is presenting are outstanding, so coming back to Suffolk to work on Sizewell C would be really good."I would love the chance to work on that project."Sizewell C, which is expected to cost about £20bn to build, will be a two-reactor nuclear power station that could generate 3.2 gigawatts of electricity for 60 it's not just nuclear engineering roles that will need to be wider Sizewell C project will require workers from several industries - including construction, catering and digital marketing, IT and hospitality. Emma Taylor, director of business development and major projects at Suffolk New College, said Sizewell C posed a "colossal opportunity for great new jobs".The college and Sizewell have long worked together to develop curricula that will give students the best chance of capitalising on the jobs the plant could generate."We have been really integral to their conversations about what are the key roles that are going to be needed to enable this project," Ms Taylor told the BBC."A number of our students really see the opportunities [Sizewell C offers] and that is growing and we're absolutely passionate to enable [them to pursue] those opportunities."There is a growth in the number of young people applying for construction courses and we are no exception – we've had real growth in that area, which is fantastic." 'Quite remote' Leiston was once being a thriving manufacturing town but, in more recent years, many feel it has lacked the capacity to provide career to the ONS, 79.1% of people in East Suffolk, however, were already in paid work or had a job, with an average weekly wage of £ Pyke, managing director of Sizewell C, told the BBC she was "committed" to ensuring at least one third of the workforce was made of local people."There will be a lot of high quality jobs in an area which is quite remote and where there isn't currently enough high quality employment," she said. Phil Stittle, executive director of business and skills at West Suffolk College, said he was determined to ensure anyone could benefit from the jobs boom."As an educator, we need to ensure the next generation understands that [Sizewell C] is going to be a great option for people to go and work at," he told the BBC."But we also work with a lot of different agencies that support adult retraining, those that come from the military and prison and even care leavers."We are looking to make sure we are not leaving anybody behind by training everyone that we can to support that big need [for jobs]."I think the positives of Sizewell C far outweigh the negatives." On Tuesday, the government confirmed it would be investing a further £14.2bn in the scheme, having already previously pledged £ the construction's height, the project will command the expertise and labour of 10,000 people – about 4,000 more than actually live in nearby locals, this has long proved a concern, with some worried about whether or not the town will be able to cope with such an influx of also fear the workforce demand at Sizewell C will dry up the employment pool available for local Kirtley, from Together Against Sizewell C, said: "I think it will have a huge impact on local businesses."Whether it's building firms or in hospitality, people cannot match the Sizewell C money and the wages they are paying." But Sizewell C joint managing director, Ms Pyke, disagrees."We are offering people progression and by investing in education and training we hope the amount of people wanting to work in East Suffolk increases so that all needs can be met," she said."We are not going to be paying out of line wages to people for similar jobs or luring people from their current jobs." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The estimated cost for US nuclear weapons nears $1 trillion in new report
May 11—Rising prices aren't just coming for eggs and avocados. The estimated price tag for the country's nuclear forces is 25% more than it was in 2023, according to a new Congressional Budget Office report. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates nuclear forces will cost $946 billion from 2025 through 2034, about $95 billion every year. In 2023, the 10-year estimate was $756 billion for 2023-2032. Some of those increases are coming from the cost for modernizing production facilities for nuclear weapons and delivery systems. Projected costs for command, control, communications and early-warning systems have also seen a substantial increase. The co-founder of an anti-nuclear nonprofit called the increase staggering. A higher bar for laboratory safety standards contributes to the high price for producing new nuclear warheads, according to a professor on nuclear engineering. Many of the country's nuclear forces, including submarines that launch ballistic missiles, land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, long-range bomber aircraft and shorter-range tactical aircraft carrying bombs and nuclear warheads, will need to be refurbished or replaced over the next 20 years, according to the report. "Over the coming years, lawmakers will need to decide what nuclear forces the United States should field in the future and therefore the extent to which the nation will continue to modernize, and perhaps expand, those forces," the report states. Some of the cost increase, at least $65 billion, does not reflect actual rising costs. Instead, it's simply because the new estimate focuses on a slightly later time period when nuclear arsenal modernization will be further along. Later development and production phases tend to be more expensive, according to the report. Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, overseen by the National Nuclear Security Administration, is one of two sites that will produce new plutonium pits to replace old warheads. Last year, the lab made its first new production unit plutonium pit. Spherical plutonium pits cause nuclear fission when compressed and are at the core of every nuclear explosive. The majority of the projected cost increases are associated with Department of Defense programs. But the "laboratories, plants, and sites across the nation are an integral part of our nuclear security program," an NNSA spokesperson said in a statement. President Donald Trump and Energy Secretary Chris Wright are committed to "modernizing our nuclear deterrent," the spokesperson said. "NNSA is currently executing seven different warhead modernization programs which require the national security laboratories' expertise in weapons programs, design and engineering, and production," the spokesperson said. The first-ever plutonium pits were made during the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, but many subsequent pits were produced in Colorado until the 1980s. The way pits are manufactured now has changed significantly from how it was done decades ago, said Carl Willis, a professor in the University of New Mexico's Department of Nuclear Engineering. What is considered acceptable in terms of safety for human health and the environment has changed since the country previously made plutonium pits, contributing to a higher production cost, Willis said. "We're building these new facilities from scratch, and the understanding of industrial hygiene, and particularly the hygiene of handling plutonium, has changed, and our ability to detect plutonium in the environment has gotten a lot better," Willis said. Greg Mello, with the anti-nuclear nonprofit Los Alamos Study Group, called for Congress to kill the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program based on the CBO report. The Sentinel program is replacing Minuteman III missiles with Sentinel missiles, as well as upgrading missile silos and launch control centers. Los Alamos is building plutonium pits to be used in Sentinel missiles. The CBO report does not include all the cost growth that the Sentinel program is likely to experience, because the Department of Defense is restructuring the program after its cost increases triggered a review. "As CBO notes, there will be increased competition for defense dollars as nuclear weapons programs grow. The huge expenses tallied in this report were not anticipated at the outset of the nuclear modernization program," Mello said in a statement. "Since 2015, and with every report, estimated nuclear weapons costs have increased beyond prior predictions, from $348 billion in 2015 to $946 billion today. The opportunity costs are staggering." The cost for nuclear weapons could be even higher in the next CBO estimate, Willis said, because the latest report does not consider Trump administration priorities.
