Dounreay has cleared away a radioactive legacy

Twenty-nine containers of Low Level Waste, produced from the decontamination of oil and gas pipework, were removed from the site and transferred to a specialist recycling facility in England. 

Nuclear Restoration Services says the transfer was made possible thanks to collaboration with Nuclear Waste Services, another part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority estate, and its framework agreement with contractor Augean. 

Dounreay began taking in equipment from the North Sea in 1989 when the site was looking for new business to counter-act the rundown of the fast reactor programme. 

Drilling tubulars, pumps, spools and multi-branch pipework used in the North Sea had become partially blocked with naturally-occurring radioactive material from beneath the seabed that clings to the pipe walls. 

The business continued until 2003 and generated 29 containers of descaling material. The last of these containers has now been removed from the site where it has been sent for sorting and segregation, enabling a portion of the waste to be recycled with the rest being routed for disposal.

Naomi Mowby, programme director responsible for the waste services team that carried out the removal operation said:

“Our collaboration with the wider NDA estate opened doors to the removal of this material and I’m pleased it means we have been able to clear away more of the legacy of historic operations at the site,”

Alistair Coghill, Senior Customer Lead from Nuclear Waste Services’ waste services team, stated:

“Providing solutions via our suite of waste services is something we’ve been doing successfully for the last 15 years.

“We look forward to further supporting Dounreay by providing a range of viable waste routes for them to utilise, whilst helping manage their radioactive waste in the most sustainable and cost efficient way as they progress with their decommissioning efforts.

“Effective treatment of radioactive waste reduces overall waste volumes and helps makes the radioactive waste permanently safe, sooner.”