Jason Ford

Serco named as nuclear safety advisor

News

Westinghouse, designer of the AP1000 nuclear reactor currently under assessment for the UK’s civil nuclear programme, has appointed Serco as its lead nuclear safety adviser in Britain.

Serco will assist Westinghouse in completing Step 4 of the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) for the AP1000, a critical stage in the reactor design approval process being conducted by the UK Nuclear Regulators, which is due for completion in 2011.

‘This contract is very significant to Serco, coming as it does at the beginning of a new era of nuclear energy in the UK,’ said Chris Theobald, managing director of Serco’s nuclear assurance business.

The GDA phase is being conducted jointly by the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency. The UK government announced its support for the building of a new generation of nuclear power stations in January 2008.