James Fisher Nuclear (JFN), a subsidiary of James Fisher and Sons PLC, has reached the first important milestone in a project to decommission one of the UK earliest experimental reactors. The project has reached the ‘Design Detail’ stage, when the client, Magnox and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), reviews the designs and authorises the move towards implementation.
This is an important step in the four year project to deliver a facility for the remote cutting up and packaging of the reactor core of the redundant Steam Generating Heavy Water Reactor (SGHWR) located at Winfrith in Dorset.
Kevin McIntyre, Reactors Programme Manager for Magnox said:
“Decommissioning the SGHWR is a significant step in dealing with the country’s nuclear legacy. With their work so far on the SGHWR project, JFN have proved to be an able and innovative partner. They have attacked the challenges presented by the Winfrith reactor and have put forward innovative, safety focused and cost effective solutions”
This is one of highest value turn-key decommissioning projects currently in operation in the UK and will firmly establish JFN as the leading reactor decommissioning implementation contractor in the UK.
Paul Read, Managing Director of JFN said:
“This is a huge project and I’m pleased it is progressing well. We have a strong heritage in this field, as we have been integral in every reactor segmentation project carried out in the UK and we are now taking our skills and experience to a wider market by actively pursuing similar opportunities in Europe and further afield”
The SGHWR team is now engaging with its supply chain and integrated teams of specialist sub-contractors, fine tuning its procurement plans, testing and implementing QA procedures and recruiting key staff, as it moves towards the start of on-site activities during 2018. Working closely with its client, Magnox Ltd. and the NDA to ensure the project is delivered on time and on budget, JFN continues to make good progress towards its next set of goals.
Source: NIA UK | Winfrith Reactor Decommissioning Reaches Important Milestone