NIS Nuclear Information Service | nuclear weapons

Nuclear emergency exercise is a good start - but real-life test needed for bomb factory

An emergency exercise for the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) has resulted in invaluable learning for emergency services – but further improvements in planning for an accident are needed as a result of the Fukushima nuclear crisis, according to a new report from Nuclear Information Service.

£2 billion and rising: the cost of redeveloping the Atomic Weapons Establishment

The Ministry of Defence has pledged at least £2 billion of spending on new developments at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), according to new information released in response to a Parliamentary Question from Caroline Lucas MP.

The answer, which exposes the true scale of development at AWE, gives a breakdown of the costs for a number of new-build projects which are intended to keep the current Trident warhead in service and, if a future government so decides, allow the development of a new warhead in years to come.

Report warns that MoD nuclear safety is deteriorating

The safety of the MoD's nuclear programmes is under threat in the medium term from a lack of finance and suitably competent staff, according to the Defence Nuclear Environment and Safety Board (DNESB), which oversees nuclear and radiological safety and environmental protection in the MoD.

Exercise Solar Victory 08: Nuclear convoy counter-terrorism exercise

The 'Solar Victory' exercise took place in October 2008 and was organised by the Ministry of Defence Police in the South Yorkshire area. The exercise was part of the Home Office 'New Salesman' series of counter-terrorism exercises, and the exercise was based on a scenario relating to a terrorist attack on a nuclear weapons convoy travelling through the area.

Flawed MoD nuclear response could place emergency personnel at risk

Significant safety problems have been exposed in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) response to an accident involving nuclear weapons after an emergency exercise in East Anglia last year.

Had the exercise been a real emergency, civilian emergency personnel would have been placed at risk from explosions and radioactive contamination as a result of misunderstandings about key safety information because a specialist MoD nuclear emergency response team “did not emphasise the hazards adequately” and gave “insufficient priority” to liaison with emergency services, according to official post-exercise reports.

Flawed MoD nuclear response could place emergency personnel at risk

Trident Initial Gate - here at last!

Defence Secretary Liam Fox has announced that approval has been given to go ahead with the detailed design phase of development of new submarines planned to replace the current Vanguard class vessels which carry the UK's Trident nuclear weapons.