A joint venture comprising of Jacobs, AMEC and Balfour Beatty has been awarded a large contract for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) framework for the Box Encapsulation Plant (BEP) project.
The framework contract has a potential value range of between £240 million and £336 million over the duration of up to four years.
The BEP project is being delivered as an integral part of the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS) Programme, which is tackling the clean-up of one of the most hazardous legacy facilities on the Sellafield site. When complete BEP will deliver the capability to treat nuclear waste recovered from MSSS, immobilise it in concrete and prepare it for long-term storage. Swarf consists of magnesium-alloy cooling fins cut off the edges of spent fuel assemblies.
In addition the BEP may also process waste recovered during the decommissioning of other significant Sellafield facilities including the First General Magnox Storage Pond (FGMSP) and the Pile Fuel Storage Pond (PFSP).
Sellafield Ltd's Chief Projects Officer, Scott Reeder, said: "One of the key deliverables for the transition and mobilisation phase will be their resource plan and associated recruitment strategy. As part of the tender they've made commitments to us about apprentice and trainee recruitment, as well as a firm commitment to support our pledge that at least 20 per cent of the work generated from the framework finds its way to local small and medium sized enterprises. This is an exciting framework for us, and for our local community."
Scott added: "The market recognised the challenges presented by this important and complex project and a number of strong organisations emerged to tender for the framework. Sellafield Ltd was very pleased with the quality, capability and commitment offered by each of these organisations."
Commenting on behalf of the joint venture, Jacobs Group Vice President Conor Doyle stated, "The Jacobs/AMEC/Balfour Beatty team is delighted to collaborate on the BEP project and support Sellafield Ltd.'s focus to achieve a sustainable socio-economic legacy. Our integrated approach blends exceptional technical and project management expertise with a comprehensive knowledge of the facility and the regulatory environment, to deliver a total programme solution safely and securely."
Sellafield is operated by Nuclear Management Partners Ltd (NMP), a consortium comprising of URS, AMEC and AREVA.
