Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 22 November 2011, Official Report, column 272W, on AWE, what his most recent estimate is of the (a) anticipated out-turn cost and (b) projected in-service date of each of the new build projects in the Atomic Weapons Establishment Site Development Context Plan.
Mr Philip Dunne
The tables show the current new build projects, with approved costs and in-service dates, at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.
Projected in-service dates are shown in bandings to avoid prejudice to national security and defence. No costs are attributed to projects detailed in table 2 as these have yet to be approved.
Table 1 – current new build projects that have been through the Ministry of Defence approval process
|
Ongoing projects |
Function |
Projected In-Service Period |
Approved cost £million |
|
Conventional Manufacturing – Phoenix |
Manufacturing/production |
2014-15 |
57 |
|
Hydrodynamics trials-Technology Development Centre |
Testing/research |
2014-15 |
40 |
|
High Explosives fabrication – Circinus |
Manufacturing/Production |
2014-15 |
231 |
|
Warhead assembly/disassembly – Mensa |
Manufacturing/production |
2016-20 |
734 |
|
Uranium components – Pegasus |
Manufacturing/production |
2016-20 |
634 |
Table 2 – projects currently planned for but which have yet to go through the formal Ministry of Defence approvals process
|
Ongoing projects |
Function |
Projected In-Service Period |
|
Salts Processing – Octans |
Testing/research |
2020-25 |
|
Initiator system manufacture-Taurus |
Manufacturing/production |
2020-25 |
|
Large Scale formulations-Scorpius |
Manufacturing/production |
2025-30 |
|
Small Scale formulations-Cepheus |
Manufacturing/production |
2025-30 |
|
New Plutonium (Pu) Facility – not yet named |
Manufacturing/production |
2025-30 |
|
New depleted Uranium Facility |
Manufacturing/production |
2025-30 |
|
Assembly for Trials-Columba |
Testing/research |
2025-30 |
|
High Explosive Climatic Trials |
Testing/research |
2025-30 |
|
Non-Metallics & materials R&D-Libra |
Testing/research |
2025-30 |
|
Chemical processing-Astra |
Manufacturing/production |
2025-30 |
