BNFL

Serco, Lockheed Martin and BNFL have been running the AWE, based at Aldermaston and Burghfield in Berkshire, under a 25-year contract which began in 2000.

BNFL chief executive Mike Parker said: "BNFL will ensure that the sale will follow a fair and transparent process.

The Government wants to privatise BNG, and BNFL has hired investment bank Rothschild to organise a sale, Mr Dewhurst said.

The Commission used several computation methods to determine whether BNFL completely fulfilled these obligations.

BNFL and the Government agreed to sell the business following a review of the company in 2003.

Green Party environment spokesman Ciaran Cuffe said: "BNFL have their own agenda - and they have a history of coming up with figures that nobody else agrees with

Since the start of the new financial year, BNFL have put their clean-up activities into a separate company.

The author declares a competing financial interest because he is an employee of BNFL, but the views he expresses here are not necessarily those of his employer.

BNFL is in the process of preparing a case to bid for an extension to the plant's licence next year.

Liverpool-born Mr Parker is due to take up his role at BNFL next month.

The massive saving was achieved with a state of the art LM 350 metal cleaning machine supplied to BNFL by Virotec.

Following the implementation BNFL will achieve faster financial consolidation and management reporting cycles for both of its business groups across 16 countries, according to Hyperion.