As the tier 1 management and operations contractor on the Hunterston A site, we are contracted by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to manage the day-to day activities of the site licensee company Magnox Electric Ltd.

Decommissioning challenge

Reactor 2 was shutdown first in December 1989 followed by Reactor 1 in March 1990. Defuelling commenced August 1990 and was completed ahead of schedule in January 1995 - the last fuel was despatched from site February 1995.

All buildings other than the reactors will be deplanted and demolished and a purpose built store designed and built to securely and safely contain the intermediate level waste generated during the lifetime of the station. The store will be emptied and demolished once a long-term disposal route for the intermediate level waste is available. As with all decommissioning progammes a key priority is the reduction of hazard. Immediate priority projects on the Hunterston A site include the deplanting and demolition of the precipitator tower to significantly reduce hazard and the recladding of the first reactor building to eliminate the hazard from glass dislodged during periods of high winds.

Ultimately Hunterston A will enter the care and maintenance phase when the site will remain in a quiescent state for a prolonged period during which time it will be continually monitored and routinely maintained and inspected. At the end of the care and maintenance period both the reactor buildings together with the empty intermediate level waste store will be dismantled and removed leaving a site ready for delicencing and re-use.

Delivering value

Having succesfully defuelled the Hunterston A power station in 1995, we are now well under way with the care & maintenance phase of the decommissioning programme.

Key Highlights

• Removal of irradiated fuel from the two steel reactor vessels ahead of schedule
• Surpassed 65 months without a lost-time accident for all staff
• Additional NDA funding has enabled us to accelerate the programme to delag reactor 1 boilers by 75 years, substantially reducing hazard on site