News on Screen

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) was formed in 1954 when the British Government set up a new body to oversee the nation’s nuclear research programme. UKAEA’s role was to provide Britain’s atomic weapons deterrent and develop reactor technologies for the nuclear power stations of the future.

In 1977, the UKAEA sponsored an issue of the National Coal Board’s [qv] cinemagazine, Review, entitled ‘ENERGY - THE NUCLEAR OPTION’.

In April 2005 the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) was formed to take responsibility for the UK’s civil nuclear clean-up programme. UKAEA is now a contractor to the NDA for management of decommissioning at Dounreay, Harwell, Windscale, Winfrith and the JET facilities at Culham. Also in 2005, the Government approved UKAEA’s plans to expand and compete for wider business.

Sources

http://www.ukaea.org.uk/about/our_history.htm; Accessed 10/5/2006: NoS Number 346725; Review 31st Year Number 4; Date released December 1977.