Last updated 14:58, Friday, 03 October 2008

Alan Irving puts the Sellafield nuclear site into context.

No single industry in the country excites more interest and controversy than Sellafield but Copeland's nuclear site remains Cumbria's biggest employer and the mainstay of West Cumbria's economy.

But the site which has underpinned the local econoimy for more than half a century now faces a massive change under new masters - Nuclear Management Partners.

This consortium of leadin g American, French and British companies won the lucractive Nuclear Decommissioning Authority competition contract to take over from the generally tried and trusted BNFL to operate and manage the UK's most important civil nuclear complex.

NMP's main focus is to clean up and decommission Sellafield while at the same time maintaining the production which safeguards a 12,000 strong workforce.

There are concerns that the clean up will lead to sizeable longer term cuts in the workforce but American Bob Pedde, the man set to take over as the new managing director, says: "There is much more work than the workforce can do."

That is good news for workers whose annual £168 million a year in take home wages provides massife spending power in both the Copeland and Allerdale communities..

Sellafield also puts £3 million a year into the community through the West Cumbria Developmenbt Fund as well as many millions of pounds to support businesses.