West Cumbria is at the heart of the UK's nuclear industry, with currently over 12,000 direct jobs making a major contribution to the Copeland and west Cumbrian economy. Major change is underway as reprocessing of nuclear fuel is phased out over the next decade, and the focus moves to 'decommissioning' and 'clean up'. The 2004 Energy Act gave powers to the 'Nuclear Decommissioning Authority' (NDA) to take ownership of all the UK's civil nuclear sites from 1st April 2005. BERR's 'Nuclear Power' webpages and the NDA's website provide important background information on this change process.
The County Council works closely with Copeland and Allerdale Borough Councils in responding to the changing face of the nuclear industry.
Other pages in this section;
- provide a link to each nuclear site in Cumbria and to the West Cumbria Sites Stakeholder Group
- describe how we are working together with Government, the NDA and the North West Development Agency (NWDA) to manage the impact of change
- provide a link to a series of reviews on the management of radioactive waste and siting issues
- explain how the industry is regulated
- explain how the County Council is involved in the Local Government Association's Special Interest Group on radioactive waste management and nuclear decommissioning - the Nuclear Legacy Advisory Forum (NuLeAF)