Monday 16 May 2016

Work starts on £39m UK nuclear training facility

Construction of a new nuclear training facility worth £39 million has started in west Cumbria.

The four-storey hub, which will include classrooms, operational stores and offices, is being built for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) but will be owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).

Two connected buildings will house live fire training arenas.

The CNC is a specialist armed police service dedicated to protecting the civil nuclear industry.

It protects 14 sites across England, Scotland and Wales, safeguard nuclear material in transit and play a key role in national security.

Phil Bishop, Chief Superintendent, CNC said: “The new training facilities represent an important and necessary step forward for the CNC, ensuring we continue to effectively maintain public safety and protect civil nuclear sites. It will allow us to continue to meet the most stringent armed policing standards set by the College of Policing and UK government regulatory standards for the protection of nuclear sites such as Sellafield.”

Construction is expected to be completed by early December 2017, with the facility operational by January 2018.