UK plans to sell off nuclear clean up authority

LONDON (AP) - Britain’s government said Monday it was putting the body responsible for decommissioning and cleaning up the country’s nuclear sites up for sale.

Business Secretary Peter Mandelson said the sale of the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s commercial arm, UKAEA Ltd., would help save public money. The body is primarily responsible for nuclear decommissioning and waste management, although it also works helping to build new power stations in Britain and abroad.

The government said it hoped the sale would help the company win consultancy and project management contracts in the expanding world civilian nuclear market. Last year’s spike in energy prices and continuing concern over fossil fuels and global warming have led to renewed interest in nuclear energy across the globe.

The government said it would consider keeping a stake in UKAEA Ltd., which employs some 230 people. It said it hoped to complete the sale by the end of the year.

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