News & Events
RWE NUKEM Wins £6 Million Contract For Stage 1 Decommissioning of Landmark Reactor
08 April 2005
The stage 1 decommissioning of the SGHWR (Steam Generating Heavy Water Reactor) has just been awarded to RWE NUKEM, this is one of the major contracts under the Winfrith Site Closure Programme.
This project consists of the decommissioning and removal of the contents of the SGHWR secondary containment, it is an 18 month contract which will commence in April 2005. To achieve this challenging programme, a rapid mobilisation and deployment of a 50-strong team working on a number of parallel fronts is planned. There is also expected to be recruitment of up to 10-15 local operatives and craftsmen.
Key activities include;
- Removal of the refuelling machines and rotating shields above the reactor charge face.
- Removal of the turbine, alternator and condenser.
- Removal of plant and equipment from the Feed Heater Cell.
- Removal of the deaerator tank and associated equipment.
- Refurbishment of the main 60 ton EOT crane.
- Provision of change-room facilities.
- Maintenance of SGHWR for the duration of the Contract.
SGHWR is perhaps the most famous landmark at Winfrith, the reactor began construction in 1963 and criticality was reached in 1967. The reactor was formally opened by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh on February 23 1968. It was for many years the only land based water cooled power reactor in the UK and as such provided information on the operation and safety of such reactors. SGHWR earned substantial revenues from the sale of electricity to the National Grid, it provided enough power to supply a town the size of Bournemouth.
Andy Staples, Winfrith Site Closure Manager said “We are delighted to have awarded this contract to RWE NUKEM, it is a key project for the Winfrith site and the success of this contract is crucial for final decommissioning of the site by 2020”.
Steve Parkinson RWE NUKEM, Head of site said “This contract for RWE NUKEM will allow us to further develop the partnering approach with UKAEA at Winfrith. We are very pleased to continue this relationship by utilising the skills of the Winfrith team for the implementation of SGHWR Contract 1. The award of this contract is due to the hard work of all the RWE NUKEM team at Winfrith and I would like to thank them all for their efforts in making RWE NUKEM the main decommissioning contractor at Winfrith.”