Engineering support services company Babcock International Group has agreed to a ...

Engineering support services company Babcock International Group has agreed to acquire UKAEA Ltd (UKAEA) from the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority for a cash consideration of £50mn. The transaction will be complete once customary approvals are obtained. The UKAEA has over 50 years’ experience in nuclear site management, operations and decommissioning and established advisory roles with a number of government organisations in both the UK and overseas. It provides a wide range of services including programme management, decommissioning, waste management, environmental services and technical consulting. Even prior to acquisition, Babcock says it had one of the largest specialist nuclear services resources in the UK, with wellestablished positions in both the civil and military nuclear operational support and decommissioning markets. The acquisition of UKAEA provides the company with its first operational ‘Tier 1’ position in the civil nuclear market and a direct relationship with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The acquisition also represents a significant extension to Babcock’s existing nuclear skills by bringing proven capabilities in waste categorisation, decommissioning of high hazard facilities, encapsulation and storage of hazardous materials and transportation of waste, says the company.