The drive to make Cumbria a centre of nuclear excellence is set to be ramped up in the coming months, delegates at the n-eboc ‘15 conference heard yesterday.

Paul Howarth, managing director of NNL, has been brought in to chair the Centre of Nuclear Excellence (CoNE) group, a collective of public and private sector organisations, and he is promising to take it to the next level.

During the Nuclear Energy Business Opportunities Conference in Lillyhall, Mr Howarth told in-Cumbria that his aim is to make sure Cumbria is seen nationally and globally as the go-to place for nuclear expertise.

For the past couple of years the CoNE group - which includes Sellafield, NuGen, Allerdale and Copeland District Councils - has regularly met with the aim of putting Cumbria at the heart of nuclear expertise.

They hope to attract inward investment and ensure that all businesses connected with nuclear in the area thrive.

The group will also help identify what infrastructure should be put in place, such as new roads, to help Cumbria’s nuclear sector thrive.

Mr Howarth, now chairman of the CoNE steering group, says the next key objectives are to get buy-in from Whitehall, and develop a communications strategy, and better structure.

So far the group relies on the support in kind of members in terms of funding, but to take it forward a more structured approach is needed.

It is hoped that work on the brand and a more formal launch will take place before the end of this year.

He said: “It’s a really good opportunity to bring key stakeholders together in the region.

“If we get it right with a coherent approach and articulate that to government that will increase inward investment in the region getting other players and organisations into the region.

“We need world leading people to come here, we need to attract the brightest and best.

“I think that rather than everybody looking at these challenges in isolation and separately, NuGen looking at infrastructure, how do we address these as a collective and link with Sellafield and BAE Systems.

“You can feel the drive energy and enthusiasm from all parties involved.

“How do we promote that Cumbria is a key centre of excellence in meeting the government's aim in energy and economic growth.

“There is a lot of work we need to do in terms of communications and branding.”

Other members of the group include Cumbria County Council, Allerdale Council, Copeland Council, Sellafield Ltd, NNL, NDA, NUGEN, West Cumbria means business, NMP, BAE Systems, Dalton Nuclear Institute, BEC, BECBC, and Gen2.

Speaking about Cumbria’s nuclear potential, Mr Howarth added: “You could count on one hand places worldwide with this potentia

Over 400 people attended n-eboc 15 yesterday, with the conference continuing today.

Key themes include the nuclear new build in Cumbria, research and development, and nuclear in the defence sector.

Other key speakers yesterday included Copeland MP Jamie Reed, Professor John Fyfe, and Lord Mawson OBE, who drew on his vast experience of regenerating the east end of London, including bringing the Olympic Games.

He challenged businesses to take the initiative to regenerate West Cumbria through capitalising on nuclear investments, and not rely on the public sector.

Lord Mawson said: “The challenge is how do you move out of a previous culture which may have been dependant on government into a modern enterprise culture.

“You need a narrative that engages with the modern world.”