Concrete from the UK’s former Sizewell A NPP is being reused at the nearby Sizewell C NPP site. The turbine hall at Sizewell has been demolished by Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) allowing more than 15,000 tonnes of crushed concrete from the turbine alternator plinths to be recycled.
NRS said all recycled materials have undergone rigorous safety testing and have been transported just a few hundred metres up the coast to Sizewell C’s Main Construction Area (MCA), where they are being repurposed as sub-bases for various foundation platforms. The collaboration significantly reduces shared costs and carbon emissions, and the need for newly mined aggregates.
Damian Leydon, Site Delivery Director, Sizewell C, said: “By reusing this material, we’re reducing the number of trucks transporting aggregate through East Suffolk, while further reaffirming our commitment of minimising our environmental impact during construction. This is great news all round.”
Wendy Heath, NRS Senior Project Manager at Sizewell A, said: “This innovative approach has prevented 28 tonnes of CO2 emissions by diverting waste from landfill, completing the circular economy for this material. This marks a first-of-its-kind achievement for NRS and showcases how collaborative working is enabling sustainable decommissioning. By reducing waste and minimising traffic on local roads, we’re actively supporting the future of clean energy.”
Senior representatives from the Environment Agency and the Local Authority approached the Sizewell C project team with the opportunity to repurpose this material, which would otherwise be treated as waste.
Sally Coble, Nuclear Regulation Group Manager South, Environment Agency, said: “This is a great example of the Environment Agency’s enabling approach to regulation. We worked with Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) and Sizewell C to facilitate the reuse of the Sizewell A turbine hall demolition waste. Reusing the crushed concrete as aggregate at Sizewell C is a sustainable approach to nuclear site decommissioning. We’re continuing to influence NRS to ensure this approach is used, where possible, at all decommissioning sites.”
The turbine hall was razed to the ground using a series of “innovative and forward-thinking techniques” which meant the work was achieved in a significantly quicker timeframe than if traditional decommissioning and dismantling approaches had been followed, the company said. Up to 700 kgs of explosives were used last November to weaken the four reinforced concrete plinths on which two 65-tonne turbogenerators stood.
More than 17,000 tonnes of concrete and rubble were removed from the turbine hall, fire station and electrical annexe structures at Sizewell A. This waste has been crushed, processed and reused for ongoing construction projects. About 35 miles of cable have also been removed. A scrap metal contract has raised income from the sale of the 11,000 tonnes removed during the de-plant and demolition phases. This revenue will be used to offset decommissioning costs.
Sizewell A’s two 210 MWe Magnox gas-cooled reactors operated from 1966 until 2006. Defuelling began in 2009, with fuel removed from the reactors placed in the site’s used fuel storage ponds before being packaged in transport containers for shipment to the Sellafield complex for reprocessing. Sizewell A was declared fuel-free in February 2015. Planning consent to demolish the turbine hall and electrical annexe was given in August 2024. The land where the turbine hall once stood will eventually be restored and released for re-use. The Sizewell A site is expected to be completely cleared by 2077.
The planned Sizewell C plant will feature two EPR reactors producing 3.2 GW of electricity. A final investment decision for the Sizewell C project was taken in July.
