UK Sellafield Ltd has awarded a framework with a maximum value of £4.6bn ($6bn) through the Decommissioning & Nuclear Waste Partnership (DNWP) to support high hazard risk reduction programmes on the Sellafield site.
The DNWP framework covers operational nuclear facilities and those which are undergoing post-operational clean out, decommissioning and demolition. DNWP will support activities related to retrieving waste materials from the Sellafield site’s oldest facilities as well as treating and storing those materials and decommissioning redundant assets.
The framework agreement will be in place for up to 15 years and will work collaboratively with suppliers at every stage, from planning to delivery. Sellafield said this provides a value-for-money route to specialist supply chain capabilities and capacities needed for future decommissioning tasks and projects. Sellafield Ltd expects spending on remediation to increase between now and 2040, subject to public spending constraints, as more facilities on the site cease operations.
Four consortia have been appointed across the framework’s lots:
- Lot 1 (Remediation): A2R (a joint venture of Altrad and AtkinsRéalis) and Amentum;
- Lot 2 (Retrievals – Ponds): The Decommissioning Alliance (TDA – a joint venture comprising Amentum, AtkinsRéalis and Westinghouse Environmental Services UK);
- Lot 3 (Retrievals – Silos): Nuclear Decommissioning Solutions (NDS – comprising Altrad, Cavendish Nuclear and Shepley Engineers); and
- Lot 4 (Integrated Nuclear Waste Partner): A2R.
The new framework replaces the existing Design Services Alliance (DSA) and Decommissioning Delivery Partnership (DDP and is intended to provide continuity for ongoing risk-reduction and retrieval programmes on the site. DNWP is a key element of Sellafield Ltd’s Overarching Acquisition Strategy.
“Cleaning up the legacy of historic operations on our site is at the heart of our mission. It is important that we achieve this safely, efficiently, and sustainably – our supply chain, and this partnership plays a key role in that,” said James Riddick, Sellafield Ltd Chief Supply Chain Officer.
He added: “We’re pleased to welcome our new partners. Their specialist capabilities and teams, working alongside our skilled Sellafield workforce, will help us deliver our mission and drive progress both on site and across our wider community. Just as importantly, these partners share our values and our commitment to creating lasting social value for the communities we serve.”
Chris Conboy, Managing Director – Nuclear EMEA at AtkinsRéalis, speaking on behalf of A2R, said: “Altrad and AtkinsRéalis have supported Sellafield Ltd for over three decades. Through the DNWP Framework, we will continue to deploy our knowledge, commitment and shared expertise to deliver complex remediation and waste treatment services safely, sustainably, and efficiently, helping Sellafield to deliver on its mission and in the lasting impact it has on the local community.
Loren Jones, Senior Vice President, Amentum Energy & Environment – International, noted: “We will bring world-class, multidisciplinary, end-to-end engineering and project management capabilities to the UK’s most significant nuclear legacy challenges while also delivering outstanding performance on safety, collaboration, social impact and key supply chain management.”
The share of the work that could be awarded to Amentum is up to an estimated value of £1.4bn. As remediation partner, Amentum’s focus will be on waste-led decommissioning, including clearance of redundant buildings to make land available for beneficial re-use and preparatory decommissioning work on the UK’s oldest nuclear reactor complexes and fuel handling facilities.
Amentum said it will deploy a full suite of technical offerings during remediation to optimise end-states integration including: digital visualisation to aid engineering design; geospatial data analysis for topographical surveys; robotics and augmented reality; and Threadsafe, an AI-based tool which uses natural language processing and knowledge graphs to map relationships in interlinked document sets such as nuclear safety cases.
John Murphy, Operations Director for Westinghouse Environmental Services UK and TDA Chair said: “TDA is a world-class blend of engineering, project management and nuclear innovation capabilities. We are delighted that we will be able to bring these to bear in support of Sellafield Ltd’s vital mission whilst also delivering significant benefits to the local economy through job creation, training and small and medium-enterprise partnerships.”
As ponds partner, TDA will retrieve hazardous radiological material from the First Generation Magnox Storage Pond and the Pile Fuel Storage Pond, so that it can be treated and moved to modern storage and disposal facilities. To accelerate retrievals, Amentum, as part of TDA, will deploy robot-operated technology such as the Bulk Sludge Retrieval Tool, a vacuum suction system for safely removing radioactive sludge from nuclear fuel ponds and pumping it away for processing and packaging.
Remotely operated vehicles will be used for inspection, sampling, retrieval, cutting and handling of waste in high-radiation zones, enabling safer and more efficient high-hazard reduction, while innovative methods for transferring radioactive waste from storage skips into shielded containers will improve efficiency by reducing overall volumes. Mike Lacey, Nuclear Decommissioning Solutions (NDS) framework director commented: “We will work together with our Sellafield Silos Partner to support this nationally important programme of retrieval operations. By working collaboratively, in all aspects of our joint undertaking, we will create a lasting legacy and safe environment for future generations. In committing to the proposed long-term sustainability plan with our partners, which will be at the heart of everything we do, we will continue to deliver real social impact and value to the local communities.”
