Winfrith decommissioning contract

UKAEA has awarded a £6million contract to decommission the Steam Generating Heavy Water Reactor (SGHWR) at Winfrith, near Dorchester, to RWE Nukem. The project, which commenced late last month, is scheduled to last 18 months.

RWE has assembled a 50-strong team for the project, which involves the removal and decommissioning of the contents of the SGHWR secondary containment facility. These include the refuelling machines and rotating shields above the reactor charge face; the turbine, alternator and condenser; the feed heater cell and its associated plant and equipment; and the deaerator tank.

The contract also includes refurbishment of the main 60-ton EOT crane, provision of changing-room facilities, and maintenance of the SGHWR for the duration of the project.

Winfrith began operating in 1967, and was for many years the only land-based water-cooled reactor in the UK. It provided electricity for a town the size of Bournemouth.

‘This contract for RWE Nukem will allow us to further develop the partnering approach with UKAEA at Winfrith,’ comments Steve Parkinson, RWE Nukem’s head of site at the plant.