By Mick Gornall, Managing Director, Cavendish Nuclear
This year marks a significant milestone for the UK nuclear industry: 70 years since nuclear power first became part of the nation’s energy story. It is a moment to reflect on an extraordinary legacy of innovation, engineering excellence and national endeavour. It is also an opportunity to look ahead.
For Cavendish Nuclear, this anniversary carries particular significance. Through our heritage and the many organisations that have become part of our business over the decades, we have been involved in the UK’s nuclear journey almost from the very beginning, helping to design, maintain, operate, decommission and support the infrastructure that has underpinned Britain’s nuclear capability.
While we are proud of that history, what excites me most is what comes next.
I believe we are entering one of the most transformative and exciting periods the UK nuclear sector has seen since the pioneering years of the 1950s and 1960s. Nuclear energy is moving back to the centre of the national conversation, and rightly so. As the UK seeks to strengthen energy sovereignty, deliver net zero ambitions and create long-term economic growth, nuclear has an increasingly important role to play.
Energy sovereignty starts at home
The world has changed dramatically over recent years. Global events, along with geopolitical tensions and conflicts, have highlighted the vulnerabilities that can arise when nations become overly dependent on international energy markets.
Energy sovereignty is ultimately about ensuring the UK has secure, reliable and dependable sources of energy that can meet the needs of our communities, businesses and industries. In today’s environment, that objective has never been more important.
Nuclear power provides a unique contribution to that goal. It delivers large-scale, low-carbon electricity around the clock, regardless of weather conditions. While renewable technologies are an essential part of the UK’s energy mix, they need dependable generation alongside them to ensure consistent supply. Nuclear provides that foundation.
As a British company with deep roots in the UK nuclear sector, Cavendish Nuclear is proud to be contributing to that mission. For decades, we have supported nuclear facilities across their entire lifecycle, helping keep critical assets operating safely and efficiently, delivering new capabilities and managing legacy challenges through decommissioning.
That expertise has been built over generations. It has been shaped by the dedication of thousands of highly skilled people and strengthened by our partnerships with suppliers and customers across the country. Just as importantly, it represents sovereign capability that resides here in the UK, creating value for our economy and supporting national resilience.
Delivering with pace and certainty
If nuclear is to fulfil its potential in supporting energy sovereignty and net zero, there is a clear challenge facing our industry – We must become better at delivering projects with greater pace and greater certainty.
Safety and quality will always remain non-negotiable. They are foundations of everything we do. However, we must also demonstrate that major nuclear programmes can be delivered predictably and efficiently.
The industry has learned valuable lessons from recent projects, and we need to ensure those lessons are carried forward into the next generation of programmes. Building confidence in delivery gives investors, governments and communities the assurance they need to support future projects.
That confidence is vital because the UK’s nuclear future will be far more diverse than its past. Alongside large-scale reactors, we are beginning to see significant momentum behind Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs). And of course, there is the exciting opportunities around nuclear fusion in the UK with major research programmes underway led by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA).These technologies offer exciting opportunities to expand clean energy generation and support industrial growth across different regions.
To unlock that future, we need close collaboration between industry, government, academia and regulators. Success will depend on all of us working together to address challenges around planning, skills, innovation and regulation.
Above all, we need to demonstrate today that we can deliver consistently. If we do that, we will help create the conditions for greater investment, greater innovation and greater growth throughout the nuclear sector.
People remain our greatest strength
One of the most important responsibilities we have as an industry is ensuring we have the skilled workforce needed to support the UK’s nuclear ambitions over the coming decades.
At Cavendish Nuclear, we have a long history of investing in apprenticeships, graduate programmes and professional development. In recent years, we have significantly increased that commitment because we can see the opportunities ahead and the demand that will accompany them.
However, as an industry, meeting future workforce needs requires more than simply doing more of what we have always done.
We need to broaden the talent pool.
That means engaging earlier with schools, colleges and universities to inspire future engineers and scientists. It means making engineering careers more visible and more attractive to young people. It also means actively encouraging greater diversity across our industry, particularly attracting more women into engineering and nuclear careers.
At the same time, we must recognise that many of the skills we need already exist in adjacent industries. Sectors such as aerospace, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas all possess highly capable professionals whose expertise can transfer effectively into nuclear.
Creating pathways for those individuals to join our sector is essential.
Just as importantly, we need to ensure people can see long-term careers at Cavendish Nuclear and in the wider industry. Strong development programmes, leadership pathways and opportunities for progression are all critical if we want to attract and retain the talent needed for the future.
Strengthening the UK’s nuclear supply chain
The UK’s nuclear supply chain is a major national asset.
Sometimes there is a perception that because large-scale nuclear new build has been limited for several decades, capability has been lost. My experience tells me otherwise.
The skills, expertise and industrial capability still exist. What we need to do is bring that capability together, build on it and create confidence in future opportunities.
As activity across the sector grows, businesses throughout the supply chain must be able to invest with confidence. Like Cavendish Nuclear, many suppliers are already expanding their capabilities and preparing for future demand. Our role is to support them in that journey.
That includes working closely with existing suppliers while also helping new organisations understand how they can enter the nuclear market. Through early engagement, collaboration and knowledge sharing, we can lower barriers and encourage greater participation across the sector.
A strong, resilient supply chain does far more than support individual projects. It creates jobs, develops regional economies and strengthens the UK’s overall industrial base.
Looking ahead to the next 70 years
The next chapter of the UK’s nuclear story will look very different from the last.
We are moving towards a more diverse energy landscape, with a mix of established reactor technologies, new nuclear developments, SMRs, AMRs and potentially fusion technologies emerging in the decades ahead.
That diversity presents tremendous opportunities.
For Cavendish Nuclear, our ambition is straightforward: to remain a trusted partner throughout the nuclear lifecycle. Whether supporting today’s operating fleet, helping deliver the next generation of reactors or providing expertise across engineering, programme management, consultancy, operations and decommissioning, we want to continue helping solve the industry’s most complex challenges.
Our story is deeply connected to the UK’s nuclear history. But our focus is firmly on the future.
For 70 years, nuclear power has helped support the nation’s energy needs. As we look ahead, I am confident it will play an even greater role in delivering secure, low-carbon and sovereign energy for generations to come.