Atkins wins safety Fukushima nuclear plant role

expat network

Atkins wins safety Fukushima nuclear plant role

Atkins has been appointed by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) to undertake fire hazard analysis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in Japan.

The Daiichi plant at Fukushima suffered major damage in the 2011 earthquake and will not reopen.

Atkins will prepare a Fire Hazards Analysis for the entire Fukushima Daiichi site, which will involve a review of plant documentation and on-site inspections to identify fire hazards, determine consequences in relation to site nuclear safety goals and radioactivity release to the environment, and provide recommendations for fire prevention, fire detection, fire suppression, and fire containment.

Robert Frost, president of Atkins’ nuclear business in North America, said: “We have built an excellent relationship with Tepco in applying our expertise across the entire lifecycle of nuclear power stations to assure the safe condition of their nuclear fleet.

“We work in a number of different regulatory environments in the UK, United Arab Emirates, and North America, and it’s a great opportunity to bring the best of this experience to our work with Tepco.”

Atkins’ software package, Glass (Graphical Logic Analysis Support Software), will be used to help Tepco make critical decisions about the safety of the plant.

Source: The Construction Index

Moving Abroad Checklist

Initial Considerations

Will your partner be travelling with you?

If so, what will they be giving up in your present home and will they be able to continue with their career in your new home? You will need to check whether a separate visa is required for your partner to work or if your visa gives that right. If they are unable to work you will need to decide on the effect on your finances and what alternatives are available to give a fulfilling life (home business, training, voluntary work).

Are you taking family with you?

Moving with family raises many exciting opportunities, but also can create challenges. The HSBC Expat Explorer survey indicates that expat kids can take six months to settle in to their new country (see article). Getting young or even older children to prepare to move and leave their friends and family behind can be a challenge and should be thought through.

The options for education is another area that needs to be thought through.

Moving your child to a new country with a different education system can be a great opportunity to broaden their experience, but if they are close to key exams the timing can make this inadvisable. If you do take your family with you, it is important to decide between joining the local school system or choosing an international school.

Where will you be living?

Whether you will be living in a house or apartment, furnished or unfurnished, these decisions will affect what you need to take with you. The time you are planning to live overseas will also affect whether you should leave your property at home empty, rent it out or sell it. See the article Sell, Store or Ship.