The Nuclear Site Simulation

The challenge.

Write a credible plan to move the Sellafield region from its reliance on nuclear activity to a sustainable energy future.

The scenario.

It opens with a major leak. Alarms go off at local, national and international level. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority insists the site must stay; the government, the local authorities and a lot of NGOs want nuclear out of the region in favour of greener energy. Something has to happen.

Why there's no easy answer.

Nuclear waste never really goes away, so there is no clean end goal. Every option has long-term costs, public health and safety risks and huge policy uncertainty. Nobody wants to invest, yet the region needs it. And a crowd of stakeholders pulls in opposite directions.

Who's in the room.

Teams take on the stakeholders: the government and its energy department, regulators such as the National Audit Office, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Sellafield Ltd, the High Court, international nuclear bodies, anti-nuclear groups and pro-nuclear think tanks, NGOs, small businesses, the county council and local communities, trade unions and the media. Our team plays the government and the regulators.

The currency: ISOs (isotopes).

Every team starts with the same number. Meeting the government or a regulator costs ISOs, and every team has to get its plans signed off by the government at least once a day. Teams earn ISOs by forming working deals and alliances and by improving how everyone works together. A leaderboard shows who's ahead.

The week, in four stages.

1. Where we are: define the problem and how big it really is.
2. Where we want to be: what could the future of the region look like?
3. Getting there: a European court and the European Commission get involved.
4. Making it happen: a surprise new government. Everything gets renegotiated.

At the end, each team presents its plan.

Back to Strategy & Decision Simulations