£31m Investment to Stimulate Innovation in the Civil Nuclear Power Sector

Chester, United Kingdom, May 05, 2013 --(PR.com)-- The global civil nuclear power industry is widely expected to undergo a resurgence. As a result the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) alongside the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) are to invest more than £18m in feasibility projects, collaborative research and development and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs) to stimulate innovation in the civil nuclear power sector and to strengthen its UK supply chain. The funding is expected to leverage in a further £13 million in investment making a total reach £31million.

Large amounts of infrastructure from the UK civil nuclear programme are to be decommissioned over the next 50+ years. Over the next 20 years the global market for decommissioning, waste treatment and disposal is valued at £250bn.

During the decommissioning process it is often desirable to remove surface contamination in order to reduce hazard to workers and simplify further processing operations (e.g. providing man access for cutting and size reduction operations). Wet decontamination procedures are commonly employed for this purpose, which generate large volumes of liquid effluent. Management and disposal of effluent is a limiting factor in deployment of wet decontamination processes.

C-Tech Innovation, working with the National Nuclear Laboratory has received close to £1 Million in investment from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority via the Technology Strategy Board. Project ELENDES (Electrochemical Enhancement of Nuclear Decontamination Solutions) is a 30 month project (Starting 1st May 2013) investigating customisable aggressive decontamination solutions using an electrochemical process as a way of reducing the time and cost of decommissioning contaminated steelwork.

Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts said: “The Technology Strategy Board is playing a vital role in making sure innovative SMEs across the UK can bridge the valley of death between the research stage and the market place. Businesses such as C-Tech Innovation are setting the pace for others to follow and making sure the UK stays at the front of the global race for technology and innovation in the nuclear industry.”

C-Tech Innovation Project Manager Steve Brewer explains “We welcome the opportunity this funding offers to C-Tech Innovation to apply one of our core areas of expertise to developing a product for the nuclear sector. We hope that adoption of the technology across the UK nuclear estate will result in cost saving significantly greater than the investment by the NDA in supporting this project.”

Note to Editors:

About C-Tech Innovation
C-Tech Innovation is an internationally renowned, independent consultancy, research and technology development company with more than 40 years’ experience in providing innovation and business support to companies, universities and government bodies.

Activities range from research to commercialisation of innovative new products and multi-disciplinary consultancy. The company’s worldwide customer base ranges from small start-up companies to large multi-nationals. C-Tech Innovation’s facilities and experienced staff provide a complete, flexible service to customers. Fully equipped laboratories and workshops enable experimental and prototype equipment to be designed, constructed and fully proven in complete confidence. We also offer an end-to-end innovation management service designed to support your business through every step of the innovation journey. It helps you to develop sustainably, supports growth and develops new ways of working. It can equip managers with skills necessary to lead, inspire, ensure long term success and develop a clear competitive advantage.