Nuclear Transport Solutions recently appointed Ben Whittard to lead its Solutions business line. Here Ben tells us more about how the team is using its extensive transport and logistics expertise at an exciting time for the nuclear sector.

It’s an exciting time for the nuclear sector. We continue to create low-carbon energy for society, we’re dealing with our legacy plants and materials, and we’re helping solve some big global challenges around carbon net zero, energy security and medicine.

The transport supply chain has a key role to play in enabling this and ensuring we’re ready to deliver for the nuclear sector, today and in the future.

The Solutions business line is the gateway to NTS and all its capabilities. We provide transport and logistics solutions for the nuclear and defence sectors by using the skills and experience we’ve developed over the past 50 years.

We don’t transport materials – our rail and shipping business lines do that – instead, we work with customers to solve their problems by providing standalone or end-to-end solutions in transport and logistics, transport package design and licencing, and much more.

We have some really interesting projects happening right now. Through our Integrated Transport Programme (ITP) we’re working with the NDA group to look at how we decarbonise and make our transport system more efficient.

We’re also completing several transport and logistics studies for Geological Disposal Facilities (GDFs) and customers both here in the UK and overseas, helping them solve their transport challenges.

Our technical team has repurposed several transport packages recently and are in the process of designing new packages for the future – we’re excited to share more about this soon. They’re also supporting customers on criticality and shielding analysis, and designing transport infrastructure like lifting beams and bespoke rail wagons.

We’re also trusted by Governments around the world to help them with their own transport challenges – whether that’s supporting the implementation of new nuclear technology, dealing with difficult materials, or supporting threat reduction activities.

Looking to the future, continuing to deliver decommissioning activities safely and securely is an absolute must. We have a moral obligation to clean up our legacy nuclear sites with minimal impact on the communities in which we operate.

We’re committed to helping the NDA group and back-end customers around the world continue to do this. Transport is often the thing local communities see most – so we need to work hard as a sector to find ways to reduce our local impact and decarbonise our activities.

As well as cleaning up the past, another priority for us is to enable the future of the nuclear industry. New build, advanced reactors, small modular reactors, micro reactors….the list goes on.

The one thing they all have in common is transport. It’s vital that transport and logistics are considered at the earliest opportunity, and that international regulations and standards are updated and proportionate so we can enable technological progress.

I’m fascinated by how the industry is evolving and very passionate about the role transport must play.That’s why I’m delighted to be taking on responsibility for Solutions in NTS.

I want to bring curiosity, innovative thinking, and drive to the way we do things and I’m committed to helping our team grow and develop – giving them space and resources to innovate. Together we’re creating a start-up feel within a company that has a 50 year heritage.

But at the heart of everything we do is outcomes – identifying opportunities for customers, delivering them with quality, and realising benefits.

Our aim is to surpass our customers’ expectations. Having seen the team in action, I’ve no doubt we’ll achieve that.