Latest news
Safe delivery of clean-up acceleration on the Sellafield site
FANTASTIC work by British Nuclear Group at Sellafield has resulted in the safe acceleration of clean-up activities valued at £10 million in the legacy silos.
As part of the programme of work this year, British Nuclear Group overcame various radiological and conventional challenges to deliver a fully commissioned crane to the Magnox Swarf Storage facility four days ahead of target.
The project included the intricate removal of existing redundant equipment, the transfer of a new crane into the building, installation of the crane and finally commissioning. This work represented one of the highest hazard activities undertaken on the Sellafield site during the last 12 months.
George Andrews, silos project superintendent, said: “A key focus for the Legacy Silos Group this year has been to improve building assets in preparation for waste retrievals. In line with current initiatives we set about to accelerate and excel in the safe delivery of the west end crane in the Magnox Swarf Storage Silos. The team rose to the challenge and demonstrated our workforce’s capability to safely manage and deliver challenging clean-up activities.”
Preparations for future retrieval operations require a fully operational travelling crane. The installation of the new West End Crane will enable the removal of redundant equipment from the operational floor and improve the capability to install new equipment.
Byron Smith, head of silos decommissioning, praised all involved, saying: “This time last year we faced a huge challenge. I am delighted to be able to say that the safe installation and commissioning of the new crane are now complete. Throughout the project all those involved continually demonstrated superb team work and an impressive display of personnel commitment to delivery.”
Further work safely accelerated during the last financial year has included the removal of a redundant shielding structure and silo liquor transfer equipment; design and routing of silo liquor transfer pipelines and installation of an engineered water top-up system.
