DECONTAMINATION & DECOMMISSIONING | UK
Decades of opportunity
A forecast of more than 120 years of nuclear decommissioning ahead for the UK could offer decades of business for companies wishing to take advantage of the opportunity
The region has a positive track record of delivery,
innovation and collaboration which is helping to bring forward a new era of nuclear energy in the UK. Alongside this, the next phase of decommissioning provides opportunities for the South West supply chain over the coming years.”
Above: Oldbury on Severn Gloucestershire
IF YOU WERE TO ASK anyone about what they know of the UK’s nuclear industry, the chances are that most people would mention Hinkley Point C. Europe’s largest civil construction project, this new power station is part of a wider cluster in the Southwest of the country that is estimated by public-private partnership Nuclear South West, whose mission is to bring together industry, academic and public sector for investment, innovation and growth to be worth £50 billion to the UK over the next decade. The region has delivered five power stations since the
late 1950s, the highest density of sites of any area in the UK. EDF Nuclear Generation and Magnox have head offices in the Southwest, and it is also home to more than 180 globally significant nuclear-related organisations. The evolution of these sites is providing opportunities
for that are companies based in, or looking to invest in, the decommissioning of nuclear sites. The opportunities are estimated by regional manufacturing support organisation SWMAS Ltd to be worth around £4 billion over the next decade. In addition, there is further work connected to decommissioning of EDF’s remaining operable advanced gas cooled (AGR) fleet in the pipeline. Stefan Cecchini, vice-chairman, Nuclear South West, says: “The scale of contractual opportunities available in the South West is impressively wide, and we have an internationally- renowned body of experience and expertise available to support the UK’s decommissioning efforts. Opportunities are available now, and the decommissioning programme for a significant proportion of our existing sites will be fast- tracked over the next decade. “Examples like the preparations for the Continuous
Reactor Decommissioning model and contracts available via the older Magnox sites in decommissioning suggest that a readiness mindset is required.
40 | February 2022 |
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Decommissioning delivery The South West hosts four of the 17 sites listed for decommissioning in the UK. These include Hinkley Point A in Somerset, Berkeley on the banks of the River Severn and Winfrith in Dorset (collectively valued at £3.3 billion) and Oldbury. The latter is expected to undergo a decommissioning programme estimated to be worth around £1.3 billion within the next seven years. Over the medium term, the second generation of nuclear power stations will also be decommissioned, using the Nuclear Liabilities Fund. The Fund has been developed under an agreement between the UK government, EDF and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which involves handing over responsibility for decommissioning of the AGR fleet to the NDA and Magnox. Seven AGRs operated by EDF across the UK, including Hinkley Point B, will provide opportunities nationally estimated to be worth around £8 billion. Consequently, Magnox-run stations, including
Berkeley, Hinkley Point A and Oldbury, will benefit from a transferable approach, with teams currently working on older decommissioned stations able to share expertise and efficiencies between newly decommissioned sites. Adrian Peckitt, nuclear supply chain specialist at
Somerset-based SWMAS, said: ‘The closure of the AGR stations is being brought forward and with it the potential investment opportunities it will offer. The national guidance from the NDA is clear about the potential this will have for the UK, and there is particular potential for the South West. “We’re excited for the possibilities this will bring for
national and international companies in the region and for existing businesses in the region over the coming years.”
Decommissioning in the UK The NDA’s 2019 report on nuclear provision looks at the cost of cleaning up Britain’s 17 historical nuclear sites. It foresees a programme lasting around 120 years, worth an estimated £124 billion in procurement. Given the timeframes and scale of work, the NDA says
this cost could vary between £99 billion and £232 billion. The pace of technological change, changes in domestic politics and the global economy, could also have an impact, which the region is working to address.
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