Jacobs’ Laboratories Maintain Vital Work Throughout the Lockdown 

Clients who depend on the company’s 12,000m² of laboratories and engineering test rigs in Birchwood Park, near Warrington, include:

• EDF, which operates the U.K.’s eight civil nuclear power stations;
• Hinkley Point C, the U.K.’s first new nuclear power station for 25 years;
• The U.K.'s Naval Nuclear Propulsion Programme, which is responsible for the reactors which power the Royal Navy’s submarines;
• Sellafield Ltd, which is responsible for the safe and secure operation and clean-up of Europe’s most complex nuclear site on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Jacobs Critical Mission Solutions International Vice President for Technology & Consultancy Greg Willetts said: “For more than 50 years our clients have relied on us to help keep homes, businesses and hospitals supplied with electricity, to support safety critical projects at nuclear licensed sites and to maintain the U.K.’s Continuous At Sea Deterrent. We have kept our labs open and working throughout the lockdown, keeping our people safe by applying social distancing measures and maintaining our service to clients through this period of crisis.”

Jacobs has also supported the National Health Service and social care providers by donating personal protective equipment, and to help tackle the PPE shortage, engineers set up a production facility to assemble face shields from components manufactured by volunteers using 3D printers.

"We're now building back up to full-spectrum activity, projects are re-commencing and we are actively taking on new work as the U.K. economy goes into recovery mode," Willetts added.

Jacobs operates the largest suite of independent nuclear laboratories in the U.K. and our analytical and engineering facilities are not just at the forefront of nuclear technology, they also provide a range of research, analysis, testing and bespoke engineering solutions for other sectors including clean energy, aerospace, environmental protection and infrastructure.