Sellafield has outlined plans to make West Cumbria a national hub of operational technology cyber security.
The company is set to open a new state-of-the-art Operational Technology Engineering Centre next month.
It will be based at the new Cleator Moor campus, which will also house the Industrial Solution Hub (iSH). iSH is seeking to build on the nuclear decommissioning expertise of Sellafield and its supply chain to find new markets to help businesses diversify.
Sellafield said that up to 70 staff will work at its OTEC when it opens next month.
“I want West Cumbria to be the centre of OT Cyber Security for the country. The plan for Unit 18 is part of that vision. We are developing an industry leading operational technology service,” said Dave Jones, who leads a team of 200 staff at Sellafield and will head up the project.
“Some of the most skilled people involved in nuclear decommissioning on the planet work in our team. So how do we upskill the next generation who are going to take that journey on and develop them so they have the knowledge and capability to work across multiple facilities?”
He added that the new centre would enable it to create “even more technology-centric specialist groups.”
“Our future development will also enable us to set the standards for instrumentation. Over the last 10 years we have seen the industry move from dumb instruments to smart instruments,” he explained.
“To help the Sellafield site, we are investing in a new instrumentation test centre which will improve calibration, enhance craft skills, and enable more engagement with supply chain partners.”
