Powering the UK yesterday, today and tomorrow

Over the years, there has been an increasing awareness of just how much our modern way of living can affect our planet.

Therefore, it's not surprising that Britain's energy sector has undergone considerable change as newer and greener energy systems take the place of the older fossil generated models. And we're proud to say that Warrington is at the heart of this change.

Being home to energy giants such as Sellafield Ltd, Electricity North West and United Utilities, all headquartered at Warrington, helps power a vibrant support chain. United Utilities alone has an average supply chain expenditure of £1bn with requirements including electrical equipment, motor control systems, systems integration and instrumentation.

With MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, Certas Energy, Cavendish Nuclear and Nuvia UK all having established headquarters locally, it's fair to say that Warrington has become a strategically important location for the energy industry.

Warrington's nuclear industry: Ahead of its time

In Warrington, we have a long affiliation with the nuclear sector, dating back to the 1950s. Back then, UK AEA (UK Atomic Energy Authority) had its engineering, production and reactor group headquartered in Birchwood. Fast-forward to 2021 - Warrington, in particular Birchwood, remains the centre of the nuclear industry. In fact, with over 6,000 employees with specific expertise across new build, plant life extension and decommissioning, this is now a thriving sector.

A cluster of giants

With the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Sellafield Ltd setting up headquarters in Warrington, it's easy to see why our town is the epicentre of nuclear technology.

There's now a depth of activity around engineering, design, research and development, control and instrumentation, project management and licensing with businesses serving national and international markets from their Warrington base. Atkins (SNC Lavalin), Rolls-Royce Nuclear, AECOM, Jacobs Engineering, Cavendish Nuclear, Mirion Technologies and AREVA RMC all operate from Warrington.

Not surprisingly, the depth of Warrington's nuclear industry has led to a strong local support base. Birchwood Park is home to The North West Nuclear Forum, and the nuclear industry led University Technical College in Science and Engineering opened in Warrington in September 2016. 

Nuclear research, development and testing

Thanks to the companies resident at Birchwood, Warrington is at the forefront of nuclear research, development and testing. Not only is Birchwood the HQ for the likes of Sellafield, but it's also home to Europe's largest commercial radiochemical analysis laboratory owned by international engineering consultants Jacobs Engineering. Thanks to Jacobs, who employ over 1,000 staff, Warrington has significant local research and development expertise.

Joining Jacobs Engineering at Birchwood Park is National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL), the UK government-owned and operated nuclear services technology provider and ESR Technology. ESR Technology, which originated from the UK AEA's research division, has its National Centre for Tribology in Birchwood. This Centre of Excellence provides engineering and technical support in non-destructive testing, failure assessment and thermal hydraulics.