Prospect National Secretary Mike Graham said: "This is welcome news. Prospect has experience of working with some of the partners within the consortium and believes the combined talents will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the industry. We are looking forward to working closely with UK Nuclear Waste Management Ltd to ensure safe and effective storage operations at Drigg."

UK Nuclear Waste Management Ltd is led by Washington Group International and includes Studsvik UK, AREVA-NC and Serco Assurance.