Exclusive By Alan Irving

Last updated 16:13, Friday, 07 November 2008

SELLAFIELD’s prospective new operators, Nuclear Management Partners, has named its top ten people – eight men and two women – who will take charge of the site towards the end of next month.

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Russ Mellor: Nuclear de-

Only four members of the new nuclear executives are British, including one West Cumbrian – the rest are from the United States.

Only one of the existing Sellafield directors – Paul Foster from Maryport – keeps his place in the new management and operation set up. The replacements are on a like-for-like basis.

More new directors will be brought in once the site officially changes hands on November 24, The Whitehaven News understands this will include executives who have already worked at Sellafield.

The changeover is still expected to go ahead on time despite the long running pay dispute which has led to industrial action among industrial workers.

A spokesman for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which will continue as Sellafield’s legal owners, said yesterday: “We have no indication whatsoever from NMP that the on-going industrial action would prevent them from reaching conclusion on November 24 when the shares will transfer over.”

A “transition agreement” which the NDA and NMP will enter into on Monday will pave the way for final completion of the historic deal.

Nuclear Management Partners won the NDA’s competition to run Sellafield as a new parent body organisation succeeding BNFL and pledging “world class” performance.

NMP has drawn its Sellafield executive board from the three companies which make up its winning consortium – the American giants URS Washington, Amec (Britain) and Areva (France).

The contract, won in the face of fierce and secret competition, is worth around £1.3 billion a year plus a dividend of around £50 million a year – but this has to be based on levels of improved performance and efficiencies.

Copeland’s MP Jamie Reed said it was the “biggest single contract of its kind in the world” and the single most important commercial decision in the history of West Cumbria”.

One of the sticking points in the pay dispute for the two industrial unions is the efficiency savings expected.

Details of the new executive team were being given to Sellafield’s 10,000-strong workforce just as The Whitehaven News went to press.

Sellafield’s current executive directors, including managing director Barry Snelson, will continue to have control of the site until the November 24 share transfer.

The site’s news new top boss, taking over from Mr Snelson, is a 61-year-old American, Bob Pedde, who for 17 years has run Savannah River, the United States equivalent of Sellafield.

Asked about employment when NMP won the contract as preferred bidder in July Mr Pedde said: “There is much more work than the workforce can do.”

He also said the company was committed to working with the local community.

Barry Snelson and Steve Morgan, the commercial and contracts director, are both retiring from Sellafield but the other current executives are believed to be moving on to other jobs in the industry.

It is believed that because of their vast knowledge of Sellafield operations they will be available for consultation while the new directors are finding their feet.

Mr Snelson said he was pleased to see another significant step towards the transition but called on the workforce not to take their eye off safety “during the distractions”.

Mr Pedde, a family man who is active in church affairs,told The Whitehaven News yesterday: “First and foremost I want to stress that we will only take management control after share transfer on November 24.

“However, I am pleased to be able to introduce the first phase of our new team for the site at this early stage. There will be additional executive directors joining the team after share transfer and appropriate management of change approval.

“Our proposed full executive team will be less than 20.

“In addition to the strength of experience that this new team brings, we are delighted that the current strategy and transition director, Paul Foster, has agreed to join us and will remain in his post.”

Maryport born and bred Mr Foster is in the thick of the pay dispute heading up the company side of the negotiations.

Two of the new directors are American husband and wife Mike and Carol Johnson, who have already moved to West Cumbria from Idaho.

Also at Idaho was the other female director, Fran Williams, who now lives in Whitehaven.

She will be Sellafield’s director for environmental health, safety and quality.