British design and engineering consultant Atkins has acquired EnergySolutions’ projects, products, and technology (PP&T) segment for $318 million, the company announced Monday after securing regulatory authorization in North America.
In a press a release, Atkins said the acquisition will improve its access to Tier 1 government contracts for management and decommissioning of nuclear sites in North America; improve opportunities for the near and medium term in China and Japan; and strengthen the company’s position for decommissioning projects in Europe.
Mark Morant, president of Atkins’ nuclear division in the Americas and Asia-Pacific, said in a telephone interview Thursday that the deal significantly extends the company’s reach. Looking at the emerging nuclear waste projects, most notably the Hanford Site in Washington state, Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi site, and Sellafield in the U.K., Morant said these are expensive, long-term projects predominantly reserved for large, global-reaching nuclear waste companies.
“I think this deal has now allowed us as the EnergySolutions project team to be a part of a large global enterprise, and think that really gives us a lot more stretch and reach, and it also brings capability and investment and long-term planning that will be very beneficial to our workforce and hopefully to the clients, as well,” Morant said.
The company said the 650-person PP&T segment is a market leader in designing systems for treatment and stabilization of high, intermediate, and low-level nuclear waste in North America, while also maintaining a “strong presence” in the Asia-Pacific. PP&T designed and supplied several water treatment systems to treat contaminated water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
“We have two formidable teams on either side of the Atlantic working on some of the most technically complex challenges across the full nuclear fuel cycle,” Chris Ball, managing director of Atkins’ nuclear division in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, said in Monday’s statement. “Our industry leading team of experts and combined proven track record puts Atkins in the enviable position as one of the leading players in our industry.”
Acquisition of the PP&T unit, according to the release, expands Atkins’ nuclear multidisplinary capability to a “2,000-strong global team” across the U.K., North America, and China.
