NUCLEAR APPLICATION
In the past, there has been a push for decommissioning nuclear plants, which is essential to ensure the long-term protection of the environment and people. The UK is currently decommissioning several nuclear sites, including Dungeness A and Hunterston B, under the stewardship of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). These complex processes involve dismantling high- risk infrastructure, handling radioactive waste and managing vast volumes of heavy, ageing equipment. “It’s a significant industrial operation to decommission power plants,” explains Brutin. According to the Office for Nuclear Regulation, Hunterston B is more than 50% defuelled with reactor 3 completely empty in September 2023 and reactor 4 under way, and Hinkley Point B station is approaching the 50% mark too. Precision lifting solutions are essential in this space. From shielded cranes capable of operating in radiation-heavy zones to modular hoists used in controlled demolitions, the hoisting industry provides the critical equipment and technical support necessary for safe and efficient deconstruction.
Safety first Public opinion towards nuclear energy has traditionally been mixed across Europe and the UK. Incidents such as the Fukushima Daiichi accident in Japan raised concerns about safety and significantly influenced public perception on nuclear power. “It is important to keep in mind that we’ve never had in Western Europe a major nuclear accident,” says Brutin. “In the nuclear industry, safety is what we’re really all about. We’re extremely regulated by national nuclear safety authorities and there is a huge amount of work being done in terms of sharing information and peer review between nuclear plants. “But that’s definitely an area where we cannot be complacent and it’s really embedded into the culture of our sector,” stresses Brutin. While
The Hunterston B nuclear facility in Scotland is undergoing decommissioning.
environmental groups continue to express concern over waste management and safety, broader sentiment appears to be warming, particularly in the context of climate change and high energy costs. “From my recent trips in Poland, Hungary
and Finland, in these three countries there’s a record level of support for nuclear. If I’m not mistaken, in Poland they told me about 90% were in favour of nuclear, and when I was in Finland last week, it was only 6% against,” explains Brutin. “I think people are really realising how important it is.” Nuclear energy not only provides energy security, but also carbon-free energy. Over 80% of energy is provided through the burning of oil, gas and coal, which hasn’t changed since 1990, according to the World Nuclear Association. The emissions from these fuels are complicit in climate change and damage to the environment, which has presented a
Precision lifting solutions are essential for any nuclear construction, maintenance or decommissioning process.
unique challenge of reducing these emissions while meeting the growing demands for energy globally. There has been a large push towards renewable energy in attempts to meet these demands and cut emissions. However, explains Brutin, “renewable sources are by definition variable because they depend on the weather. The very strong benefit of nuclear is that we produce constant electricity, which is very important both for those managing the energy grid because it means they have [constant] access to this.”
As one of the few decarbonised sources to
provide a base load of energy to the grid, it is well positioned to work with renewables and manage the variable nature of the renewable energy, he continues. “In countries which do not have nuclear energy or have been shutting down the production like Germany, it’s important to have this recognition that nuclear energy provides the benefits to the entire European system as a whole,” says Brutin. “With the example of Germany, we do not expect them to reopen the nuclear power plants but in the meantime, they’re actually importing quite a lot of electricity, which is generated in France by nuclear power plants. “No one can do this alone. Not one country and not even one region. That’s why there’s a lot of international collaboration going on as well,” adds Paterson. In order to be truly sustainable, however, countries shouldn’t just rely on the clean energy the plants will produce once built. The construction, maintenance and decommissioning of nuclear plants require various materials, equipment and machinery, all of which require energy too. Sustainability within nuclear lifting operations, therefore, includes reducing the carbon
18 | August 2025 |
www.hoistmagazine.com
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