Brand new high-precision containers have been used successfully for the first time to deliver radioactive waste from Harwell in Oxfordshire to Sellafield in Cumbria. read more
The Type B Novapak stainless steel containers were commissioned by the Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR), near Drigg, as part of its transport services, and will replace an existing fleet of containers for Intermediate Level Waste (ILW).
Each container is intricate to manufacture, requiring:
The final containers provide 2 layers of thermal shielding and impact protection.
They will transport the Harwell ILW as well as plutonium-contaminated material (PCM) from the LLWR site to Sellafield for long-term storage.
LLWR’s Type B (Novapak) project team members were on hand to witness the historic initial delivery to Sellafield in the first pair of containers, which were manufactured by Cumbrian firm Bendalls Engineering at Carlisle.
Marc Goodwin, LLWR Project Support, said:
This is a key milestone for the NDA estate. The first pair have now returned empty to Harwell, to successfully complete the first full cycle.
The delivery of the second pair to LLWR will signal a re-start of transports by rail of legacy PCM for storage at Sellafield, which had been on hold for over 3 years until the Novapaks became available. Inactive handling trials will start in mid-September, before they enter service.
Alan Jackson, LLWR Programme Manager, said:
It has taken us over 2 years to get to this point, and it has been a huge team effort, involving Sellafield, Magnox Ltd Harwell, ourselves, Bendalls Engineering and the Design Authority Nuvia.
We’ve had a few issues along the way, but it’s the attitude that counts and the team was always been motivated to solve any problems and make progress. They’ve had a steely determination which was nice to see.
Bendalls won the £multi-million contract to produce six pairs of Novapaks, all of which will be completed and in service by mid-2018. Each package, around 2m³, will be in operation for a minimum of eight years and carry up to four, 200 litre drums of material.
Simon Williams, of Bendalls Engineering, said:
Turning ideas and design into an actual manufactured high specification piece of kit is always a challenge.
By working closely with the LLWR team and the Design Authority, we have together reached this significant milestone and captured a lot of learning and experience that can be applied to the remaining pairs yet to be manufactured.
In addition to supporting manufacture, Nuvia, through commercial arrangements with LLWR, will support the Novapaks’ full life cycle operation.
Find out more about Low Level Waste Repository in Cumbria
Find out more about radioactive waste in the UK
read moreBoth companies supply pay-to-use and free-to-use cashpoints (ATMs) at sites across the UK.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) began investigating the merger in January, referring it for a phase 2 inquiry by an independent group of panel members in May.
This group considered whether the merger would reduce competition and result in higher surcharges at pay-to-use cashpoints.
In their final report, published today, the inquiry group found that the presence of free-to-use ATMs, and the availability of alternative non-cash payment methods, are likely to constrain such surcharges at pay-to-use machines.
The group also found that contracts and relationships with the owners of sites at which ATMs are installed would limit the merged company’s incentives to increase surcharges.
There was also evidence that ATM surcharges are not set according to local competition and that the merger would be unlikely to change this.
Alasdair Smith, CMA Inquiry Chair, said:
We’ve looked carefully at the scope for the merger to result in cashpoint users paying higher charges at pay-to-use ATMs. As part of our in-depth inquiry, we surveyed consumers and spoke to the owners of a wide range of premises at which these machines are installed.
We’ve found that the merger does not provide the merged company with an incentive to increase surcharges for people using pay-to-use ATMs, not least because of the increasing use of non-cash payment methods and the decline in the use of pay-to-use ATMs relative to free-to-use ATMs.
The final report has been published on the case page, where all other information relating to the inquiry is available.
The government is developing plans for Britain’s first digital intercity railway in the north, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced today (22 September 2017) as the government invests a record £13 billion in improving journeys across the region.
As part of the Great North Rail Project, major upgrades are being developed for the TransPennine route between Manchester, Leeds and York from 2022 – to slash journey times between Leeds and Manchester to 40 minutes.
Digital signalling technology is already in operation on the London Underground, and Network Rail will now develop options to make the TransPennine route the first digitally controlled intercity rail line in the country.
Network Rail will receive up to £5 million to develop proposals for embedding digital technology between Manchester and York, to help us deliver a more reliable and safer railway. This includes looking at a system of advanced train traffic management – so that a computer works out how to route the trains most efficiently along the line.
This government has launched the biggest modernisation programme of railways in the north since the steam age – and we are investing £40 billion in our network across the country.
The government is also bringing HS2 – Britain’s new railway – to the north, the Pacer trains are being scrapped by the end of 2019 and major investment in motorways is also underway across the region.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said:
We are about to see a digital revolution in our railways, and we want the north to lead the way.
New technology on the Manchester to York route will help us deliver a more reliable and safer railway, with more space for passengers.
Travel will be transformed across the north as we invest £13 billion to improve journeys, expand our motorways, scrap the outdated Pacer trains, and spend £55 billion on HS2 to cut journey times between our great northern cities.
Developing proposals for digital-control on the TransPennine route is to be paid for from a £450 million digital railway fund announced by the Chancellor in the Autumn Statement last year.
On the London Underground 3 lines already have in-cab signalling, which has meant trains can safely run closer together.
Also in the capital, the Thameslink programme will use digital technologies so 24 trains per hour can run through the centre of the city from December 2018 on just 2 tracks with 2 platforms. Crossrail trains will also run with in-cab signalling.
Work to deliver improvements to the TransPennine railway line have already begun.
The Great North Rail Project has already delivered improved services between Liverpool and Manchester, with the fastest journey cut by 15 minutes, new direct services between Manchester Airport and Glasgow, and the upgrade of Manchester Victoria station.
The government is working with Rail North and councils across the region on the project, and Network Rail is working on plans for the upgrade.
The government is also investing £55 billion in HS2 which will slash journey times between Leeds and Birmingham to 57 minutes from 1 hour 58 minutes today. Journeys between Manchester and London will be reduced to 1 hour and 8 minutes from 2 hours and 8 minutes today.
All of the Pacer trains which run on Northern trains will be phased out by the end of 2019 and sent to the scrapyard, as the government delivers a 21st century revolution to transport.
read moreThe review commissioned by the government and led by the current Chair of ITV Sir Peter Bazalgette, outlines key recommendations for how the Creative Industries can underpin the UK’s future economic growth. It highlights how the sector is continuing to outperform other sectors in terms of employment, having already grown 300,000 jobs between 2011 and 2015.
The review makes a number of recommendations on how government and the Creative Industries can work together to remove barriers to growth. It spans issues from access to finance, intellectual property, trade and creative clusters – areas with high concentrations of ambitious companies who will drive regional growth.
Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said:
The UK’s Creative Industries are an economic powerhouse and the government is committed to removing the barriers to its growth.
The key challenge now is turning these ideas into a strong partnership, which is credible and has buy-in from both government and industry.
I encourage the sector to do what it does best – think creatively and work with us on achieving a compelling and ambitious deal that allows the UK Creative Industries to continue to thrive.
Other asks include a strategy to attract and develop young talent to make the Creative Industries more accessible, including a careers programme for secondary schools and expanding the UK’s network of Saturday Clubs.
The review’s recommendations will now be considered carefully by the Government as part of its Industrial Strategy and used to inform work towards a sector deal in the coming months. In response the Government has already announced the opening of the £80 million Creative Industries Clusters Programme competition, led by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).
Business Secretary Greg Clark said:
The UK’s booming Creative Industries contribute nearly £90 billion to the economy and employ more than two million people.
The review unveiled today demonstrates our world-class talent and expertise in these areas and reflects the industry’s vision for how we build on these strengths, now and in the future. We are grateful to Sir Peter Bazalgette for his excellent work. We will be working with him in the coming months towards a sector deal that helps us grasp the opportunities ahead.
The £80 million Creative Industries Clusters Programme being launched today will deliver a further boost to our creative industries, help spread prosperity and grow the creative skills base across the UK.
This funding means that from today, eight areas of the country will be able to establish creative Research and Development (R&D) Partnerships between universities and businesses. The Programme, which is supported by £39 million from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and matched by industry, will help catalyse economic growth and provide the skills needed for the jobs of the future and respond to challenges identified by the creative industries in their cluster.
And a new Policy and Evidence Centre will help fill the gaps in our understanding of the creative industries – from the full value of their economic contribution to how they compare internationally.
Sir Peter Bazalgette said:
In every scenario the Creative Industries are set to be of central importance to the UK’s future success. We have two great assets: the English language and our creativity, but the skills and business models of this sector are of increasing importance.
My report recommends simple ways of maximising the potential of this crucial sector which I’d like to see become part of the government’s developing Industrial Strategy.
I urge government to ensure the final strategy is based on a fundamental understanding of what these industries need to thrive.
Nicola Mendelsohn, Vice President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Facebook and chair of the Creative Industries Council, said:
On behalf of the Creative Industries Council, I welcome Sir Peter Balzalgette’s report, which makes clear how vital our industries are to the economy of the 21st century, and frames an exciting ambition for growth and jobs over the next decade.
Sir Peter has identified some important priorities for action: we strongly share his desire to promote innovation, intellectual property and access to finance for growing creative enterprises; to support growth in international trade and creative clusters around the UK; and to secure the pipeline of diverse talent which our industries need in order to thrive.
The Council looks forward to working with Government, and all parts of the industry, over the coming weeks in order to secure a Sector Deal which builds on Sir Peter’s review and cements the UK’s position at the heart of a thriving global creative economy.
John Kampfner, CEO of Creative Industries Federation said:
The Federation welcomes Sir Peter Bazalgette’s review and the growing acknowledgement by government that the creative industries are an essential part of the country’s future growth. We are also pleased to see that many of the recommendations the Federation and our membership submitted to the review have been reflected within it.
Building the pipeline of talent to supply the creative workforce is crucial to ensure the continued success of the sector – the fastest growing of the UK economy worth £87bn. That is why the Federation particularly welcomes the initiatives around skills including our idea for a Creative Careers Campaign within the Bazalgette review.
Sir Peter was commissioned to undertake the review by Culture Secretary Karen Bradley and Business Secretary Greg Clark following the Government’s Industrial Strategy Green Paper in January.