The visitors, from all across the UK and overseas, enjoyed a day of exhibitions and informal networking at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) Estate Supply Chain Event.

Businesses came to Manchester’s EventCity venue to be involved in one of the world’s largest nuclear decommissioning supplier events, with delegates turning up from all across the UK and overseas.

The NDA and its business units set up the first event 7 years ago with the aim of creating greater visibility of opportunities for suppliers and in particular for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs). The event has gone from strength-to-strength and has become a highlight of the nuclear industry calendar, with around half the visitors coming from the SME community.

The day was formally opened by NDA Chief Executive David Peattie, who spoke about the importance of suppliers in providing skills and innovation for the decommissioning mission.

The main hall held 300 exhibition stands, staffed by a wide range of technical and service suppliers, alongside information stands representing the NDA and all its business units, government bodies and regeneration organisations.

The ever-popular ‘Innovation Zone’, supported by the government’s Innovate UK, hosted more than 40 exhibitor companies, who held demonstrations of leading-edge technologies during the afternoon.

The Skills Zone also returned for 2017, featuring a range of organisations who were able to offer guidance, advice and one-to-one discussions.

Other government departments attending included:

• The Ministry of Defence’s Submarine Enterprise Programme
• Department for International Trade
• the Crown Commercial Service
• the Welsh Government

Ron Gorham, the NDA’s Head of Supply Chain Optimisation and SME Champion, said:

We have a challenging mission for decades to come which relies on vibrant, dynamic businesses providing solutions to our many challenges. Success across our estate and also the MOD’s Submarine Enterprise Programme is good not only for the UK, local and national economies, but also provides fulfilling careers for a whole new generation.

We remain committed to working with the supply chain, from the largest to the smallest players, to improve not only the quality of the opportunities but also help ensure successful outcomes for all.

Informal feedback during the day suggests that yesterday’s event was the most successful so far. It provides a unique opportunity to hear leading figures from across our sector, see world-beating technology and enjoy an unrivalled opportunity for networking with other businesses suppliers and clients.

The event remains a key element of our Supply Chain Development programme and the SME action plan both of which show NDA’s continued commitment to encourage, support and develop our supply chain for today and for the future.

One of the morning highlights was the presentation of NDA estate awards.

More images on the NDA’s Flickr account

The UK will host a pavilion in the Bonn Zone of COP. Through our programme of talks, events and presentations we aim to showcase the UK’s role in tackling climate change, sharing innovations that will drive the future of the Paris Agreement. We hope that sharing our experiences and expertise can be useful for other countries in taking forward action on their climate commitments, and are keen to explore areas for collaboration in the future.

Our programme will cover a broad range of topics across the climate and clean growth agenda, UK renewable energy, green finance, climate policy (including the Clean Growth Strategy), transport and more.

The UK is playing a leading role in the low carbon transition both nationally and internationally. We were the first country to legislate to reduce carbon emissions with the 2008 Climate Change Act, and have been among the most successful countries in the developed world in growing our economy while reducing emissions. Since 1990, the UK has cut emissions by 42 per cent while our economy has grown by 67%. Our recently launched Clean Growth Strategy builds on this, bringing together for the first time over £2.5 billion of Government funding for low carbon innovation from 2015 to 2021.

Please come and join us at COP 23 in Bonn.

The programme of the pavilion can be viewed below for week 1 and week 2.

Programme – UK Pavilion at COP 23
(PDF, 491KB, 11 pages)

The Environment Agency consults the public on certain applications for waste operations, mining waste operations, installations, water discharge and groundwater activities. The arrangements are explained in its Public Participation Statement

These notices explain:

• what the application is about
• how you can view the application documents
• when you need to comment by

The Environment Agency will decide:

• whether to grant or refuse the application
• what conditions to include in the permit (if granted)

In 2017 the European Commission granted the UK and other member states quota for undulate ray in specific areas.

The UK has 2 tonnes of remaining quota for ICES area VIId which can be used for scientific research.

Currently undulate ray caught in VIId is under restrictive management and vessels involved in the survey will be required to complete a log-sheet and follow certain conditions while operating under dispensation.

It is anticipated that participating vessels will be restricted to 100kg live weight per trip but this will depend on the number of vessels that take part. Approximately 6 vessels that collectively fish across the range of area VIId are required.

If you would like to be considered to take part please email dispensationrequests@marinemanagement.org.uk or telephone 0208 2 256947 by 8am on the 13 November 2017.

Farmers, foresters and landowners are today being encouraged to plan ahead for the next round of funding for woodland creation, which opens for applications in just two months.

From 2 January 2018, landowners can apply for up to £6,800 per hectare to plant and protect more trees under the Countryside Stewardship Woodland Creation Grant – a scheme to help landowners make the most of their land and reap the benefits of woodland creation.

Not only do woodlands help to protect wildlife, improve water quality and manage flood risk, they also offer landowners an alternative source of income, help to boost timber production, and bring economic growth to rural areas.

Richard Greenhous, Forest Services Director for the Forestry Commission, said:

By investing in tree planting now, landowners can both benefit financially and help to secure a brighter future for our environment.

I would encourage landowners to talk to their local Woodland Officer and start planning now before the scheme opens for applications to be submitted in January.

We have made guidance available much earlier this year and brought in a number of improvements to the scheme – and our Forestry Commission teams are on hand to provide advice and support throughout the process.

The Woodland Creation Grant is open to all land managers, and successful applicants will receive a two-year capital grant, alongside an opportunity to apply for annual maintenance payments for ten years.

Guidance and application forms for the scheme were made available in September to give potential applicants more time to develop their plans, and a number of improvements have been made this year to make it easier to apply.

Applicants can contact the Forestry Commission for further advice and assistance.

Alongside the Woodland Creation Grant, landowners can also apply for the Woodland Creation Planning Grant to help with planning and proposals, as well as the Woodland Carbon Fund – a scheme designed to encourage large-scale planting and reduce our carbon footprint.

The Forestry Commission has appointed a new team of specialised woodland creation officers to assist landowners through the application process for large scale projects.

More information on the funding options available is on the Forestry Commission website.