The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has awarded contracts worth up to £12m to ten consortia to provide innovative solutions to the technical challenges of cleaning up UK nuclear sites.
Six consortia, led by Amec Foster Wheeler, Arcadis Consulting, Arup, Eden Nuclear and Environment, Galson Sciences and NSG Environmental, will work on research into integrated waste management (IWR) and site decommissioning and remediation (SDR).
Amec Foster Wheeler will provide services over the next four years to support: site characterisation, engineering design and delivery of the UK geological disposal facility; low-level waste repositories in West Cumbria and Dounreay, Scotland; and environmental assessment. ‘By combining our clean energy and environmental skills we are able to provide a world-class service to the NDA in its drive to manage the UK’s nuclear clean-up programme,’ said Andy White, vice-president of the consultancy’s nuclear business.
The NDA’s clean-up responsibilities cover 17 sites – 14 in England and Wales and three in Scotland. IWR and SDR are key themes in the NDA’s new strategy, which was adopted in April. The authority said that under current plans it would take around 110 years to complete its core mission of nuclear clean-up and waste management.