The School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering at  Manchester University in the UK has release a revised edition of its report, “ UK Experience of Consortia Engineering for Nuclear Power Stations”. The report reviews the lessons of the engineering and project management of the UK’s programmes of Magnox and AGR projects. 

It notes that many of the lessons from the UK’s previous nuclear programmes were not due to problems of the nuclear advances and innovations. The managerial challenges were as much the organisational and leadership problems of bringing companies together to design and supply complete power stations.  Pressurised water reactor technology and its users’ experience can now provide the nuclear heart for new power stations in the UK. However, a lesson from the Magnox and AGR programmes is that, to be economic and safe to operate, each new project should be planned and controlled by a dedicated organisation, which has the engineering, financial and managerial capacity and authority to integrate and control the design of the whole project.

The report draws on the experience of veterans of the programmes and unpublished sources as well as public material.  The report lists published papers and conference papers on the engineering advances achieved in the programmes and reviews the contract structure that employed consortia of engineering and construction contractors to design and deliver complete projects under turnkey contracts. The report and appendices may be downloaded from the Dalton Nuclear Institute’s webpage, at: http://www.dalton.manchester.ac.uk/about/reports.