Day in the life of
Nuclear Program Manager – Andrew Crabtree
I enable the delivery of major projects that are of national importance to the UK achieving net-zero 2050. Nuclear energy provides a secure, sustainable source of GHG free electricity that requires minimal land use. The work that we are undertaking creates thousands of long-term, well-paid jobs.
My typical day starts by interacting with the people in my project to ensure that everyone is clear on what we plan to do and no blockers are affecting us in achieving our plan. If there are issues, it is my job to problem-solve them. A typical example of an issue without getting into specifics includes technical issues on-site associated with design issues. My role is to bring together relevant subject matter experts to brainstorm possible solutions and make a decision on the way forward. In parallel, we need to look at the commercial ramifications (i.e. who pays for the re-work/delays).
The rest of the day can be quite variable, depending upon the stage of the project. Interactions will range from site visits, risk reviews, progress updates, or planning future works. At the moment, we are seeking funding to start the next phase of our works, in which we will be providing decommissioning solutions to support the clean-up and safe storage of nuclear waste when plants reach their end-of-life.
Pros
- The variety of the work
- The range of people that I get to meet
- The feeling of fulfillment from making a positive impact
Cons
- The industry has so much unfulfilled potential
- There is still a negative opinion of the technology
- It is demanding on your time (particularly out of lockdown when I was spending 3-4 nights per week in hotels across the UK and Europe)
The nuclear industry is currently the only feasible technology to provide the world with clean, carbon-free energy. Other technologies can be cheaper (wind, solar, hydro), but they require huge amounts of land to generate enough electricity. Creating an energy mix with nuclear energy providing a baseload topped up with renewables, makes a strong net-zero case.
