THE UK NATIONAL NUCLEAR LABORATORY – SUPPORTING SAFE AND SECURE FUEL CYCLE RESEARCH

Following the decision by the UK Government to create a competitive marketplace for nuclear decommissioning and clean-up, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority was formed to manage the UK’s nuclear liabilities and assets. This has resulted in the restructuring of British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL) and in the divestment all of its businesses and as a result, to the creation of the Government owned UK National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) from BNFL’s former Research Division. One of NNL’s major roles is to identify and preserve key nuclear scientific and technical skills and facilities in the UK. This has resulted in programmes in which the NNL is developing its people, services and facilities across the entire fuel cycle. As such, at the heart of the NNL is the concept of the “Collaboratory”; “collaborating laboratory”. This approach includes linking in the research activities of the top universities in the UK and developing collaborations with other international laboratories/bodies. With its substantial fuel cycle experience, expertise and facilities, NNL is ideally suited to support not just the UK, but international activities associated with current and future fuel cycle options, including activities involving safeguards, security and the development of fuel cycles with higher levels of proliferation resistance. This paper presents the overall capabilities of the newly formed NNL and its role in maintaining the nuclear skill base in the UK including activities associated with safeguards and proliferation resistant fuel cycles, and the functionality of the NNL facilities, including the flagship Central Laboratory based at Sellafield. The aim of the paper is to provide an opportunity to raise the profile of these new UK initiatives and thereby identify potential international collaborations through the INMM.