British Energy (BE) and the UK-based engineering consultants NNC have announced an agreement to combine their consultancy groups to form BE NNC International Consulting.

The two companies have worked together for 40 years, and for the last seven years they have collaborated to support aid programmes focused on enhancing the nuclear safety of reactors in central and eastern Europe.

The new company said it will continue to work in this area, pursuing a number of projects, including project management of the Chernobyl and Ignalina units, on-site assistance at Smolensk, institutional support for the Ukrainian generator Energoatom and various UK government, EBRD and EC-sponsored programmes in Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania and the Czech Republic.