Jacobs will take on the role in coordinating the programme to clear and treat radioactive waste in the shaft and silo at Dounreay. The site decommissioning company Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) has picked this firm to lead the integrated design management team.
Jacobs will therefore restore the former fast-reactor research and development site at Dounreay near Thurso. DSRL estimates the contract value at £8m over 6.5 years, with potential for additional revenue as additional work packages are identified.
Berkshire Engineering, which is based near Dounreay, will assist with test and trials work. While some of the contract will be delivered remotely, Jacobs will also subcontract work to local companies.
Jacobs will lead in design integration to enable construction activities to begin, assisting with the management of design and build work packages, and providing design support during construction and commissioning.
There’s a silo which is a large underground vault with a concrete roof. This is placed under the Dounreay shaft that extends 65m feet below ground and measures about 4.6m wide in places. Both were used for disposal of intermediate-level waste in the 1960s and 1970s.
However, it’s the solid waste and liquid effluent they contain that needs to be retrieved and repackaged for removal to a safe, modern storage facility. The contract is one of a series to be awarded through the site’s decommissioning framework and heralds.