SIXEP Continuity Plant (SCP), a major infrastructure project located at the UK Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria, has reached 75% completion following successful heavy crane lifts. SCP is being built to take over wastewater filtration duties from the ageing Site Ion Exchange Effluent Plant (SIXEP). SIXEP is widely referred to as the “kidneys of the site”. It filters out radioactive isotopes (like caesium and strontium) from water generated during nuclear operations.
The original SIXEP facility has been active since 1985. The new SCP facility is targeted to become operational in 2029 and will continue treating effluent until at least 2060 to support the site’s long-term decommissioning. With the main buildings officially weathertight, engineering work has now shifted from civil construction to internal mechanical and electrical fit-outs. This includes installing 14 specialised pump-and-valve modules, each weighing 16 tonnes, and massive storage tanks. Teams have also installed a 55-tonne gantry crane. This spans 21 metres across the plant.
SCP is being managed and delivered by the Programme and Project Partners (PPP), an alliance established in 2019 that includes: Sellafield Ltd, KBR, Amentum, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure and Altrad Babcock.
After years of design, engineering and manufacturing, I’m delighted to see the plant’s operational equipment arriving on site. Installing this equipment on a nuclear site is no mean feat. Our teams have had to thoroughly plan every detail,” said PPP Managing Director Steve Harnwell. “Every major project we are delivering at Sellafield is a step towards safely managing and reducing the UK’s most hazardous nuclear materials. We’re delivering stores for different types of nuclear material, processing plants, and analytical facilities. It’s infrastructure with purpose.”
