11/7/2008 - Cumbria County Council looks forward to working with Nuclear Management Partners at Sellafield

Cumbria County Council welcomes the appointment of Nuclear Management Partners Ltd as the preferred bidder to become the parent body at Sellafield and looks forward to working with them for the good of the county.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority today announced that Nuclear Management Partners Ltd, consisting of Washington International Holdings Ltd., AMEC and AREVA NC has been selected as the Preferred Bidder in the competition to secure a Parent Body Organisation (PBO) for the Sellafield Site Licence Company (SLC).

The PBO which eventually takes over at Sellafield will have an important role to play in the economic and social development of the area as a major employer with substantial amounts of money to invest in local communities and the local economy.

The NDA will now enter into a period of contract finalisation with Nuclear Management Partners Ltd before making a decision on whether to award the contract in October 2008.

Cumbria County Council is a community leader in Cumbria and the waste planning authority dealing with nuclear waste issues. The council will be working closely with the both the NDA and eventual new Parent Body Organisation at Sellafield to try to maximise the benefits to Cumbrian communities and to the Cumbrian economy. 

Conservative Tim Stoddard, leader of Cumbria County Council, said: "The county council has an important role to play as a community leader and will continue to represent the interests of the county. We will look forward to working with the preferred bidder and with the eventual Parent Body Organisation."

Liberal Democrat Joan Stocker, deputy leader of the council, said: "Nuclear issues are so important for the whole of Cumbria. The county council always puts party politics aside to make sure that the interests of Cumbrian communities are given proper consideration in all matters nuclear. The county council will continue to do that however the cast of characters may change."

Stewart Young, leader of the Labour group on Cumbria County Council said: "This decision is hugely important for the future of West Cumbria and we will be looking for early discussions with them on their plans for the future".

ENDS

Note

The Sellafield site licence company manages & operates, on behalf of the NDA, the reprocessing and waste storage facilities at Sellafield, the former nuclear power stations Calder Hall and Windscale (all in West Cumbria), and the Capenhurst nuclear site and an Engineering Design Centre at Risley in Cheshire. 

The four bidders who submitted final tenders were:

•CH2MHill Nuclear Services Ltd. 

•Fluor Limited in partnership with Toshiba 

•SBB Nuclear, consisting: Serco, Bechtel and Babcock & Wilcox 

•Nuclear Management Partners Ltd, consisting: Washington International Holdings Ltd.,

AMEC and AREVA NC 

Please note: Cumbria County Council's media team telephone numbers have now changed.

Media enquiries to Justin Hawkins, Media Officer on 01228 226334