Friday 22 March 2019

New £250m plant to support Sellafield nuclear waste clean-up

New £250m plant to support Sellafield nuclear waste clean-up

Sellafield has unveiled a new plant that will support the clean-up of two of its historic nuclear waste stores.

The £250 million Silos Maintenance Facility, which has taken nine years to build, is a mechanical handling plant that provides equipment storage, inspection, package loading and unloading, decontamination and the maintenance capabilities essential to supporting waste retrievals.

It is said to be a place where the machinery doing the most important job in nuclear decommissioning can be maintained in a safe and secure environment.

The nuclear site is moving into a 100-year programme of environmental remediation, which means speeding up the decommissioning of old facilities and moving the waste into safe containment for centuries to come.

Chris Halliwell, Head of the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo for Sellafield Ltd said: “Getting this new facility is a huge success story for the Sellafield clean-up mission. It will play an important role in the UK’s hazard reduction programme and is a testament to the collaboration between Sellafield Ltd and our supply chain partners, Balfour Beatty and Cavendish Nuclear.

“Not only was the project delivered to time and budget but it also has an impeccable safety record, to have had five and a half years without an accident on a construction site of this scale is no mean feat.”

To mark the safety record, the team has donated £8,000 to eight local charities, chosen by those who have worked on the project.

Written by

Bruna Pinhoni

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