Joint venture secures place on £125m decommissioning framework at Sellafield

A new joint venture involving engineering giant Amec Foster Wheeler has been appointed to a 10-year decommissioning framework worth around £125m at the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria.

The group, which also includes industrial services firm Hertel (UK) Ltd and mechanical engineering company Shepley Engineers Ltd, secured the work under the new Decommissioning Delivery Partnership and will support the accelerated cleanup efforts at the facility.

The vice president of Amec Foster Wheeler’s decommissioning business, Andy White, said: “The safe and cost-effective clean-up of the Sellafield site is a vital part of the NDA’s mission and this joint venture brings world-class expertise to face what is a huge challenge.

“This work will enable the partner companies, all of whom have a significant presence in Cumbria, to sustain the local workforce and continue to provide training and development opportunities.”

He added: “The work will also create the possibility of further opportunities into the wider Cumbrian supply chain.”

The three joint venture partners have already worked collaboratively at Sellafield through the site’s existing Multi-Discipline Site Works framework.

David Fitzsimons, the managing director at Hertel UK, commented: “This is a hugely significant piece of work as part of the clean-up of Sellafield.

“During the last two years, we have developed a close working relationship with our partners and Sellafield Ltd and together we have been able to demonstrate our ability to deliver real value for money in a safe and efficient manner.”

He added: “The new framework provides the opportunity of working collectively in the shared pursuit of accelerated risk reduction for the site.”

Following their appointment to the new framework, the joint venture partners have committed to supporting Cumbria’s economy through the use of local sub-contractors, the creation of jobs and the provision of skills development opportunities.

Shepley Engineers’ director, Hendry O’Reilly, commented: “Along with our two delivery partners we are delighted to have won the opportunity to be playing an integral part in supporting Sellafield in delivery of their primary mission.

“Our collaborative team are looking forward to building on our current knowledge, skills and right first time approach to ensure safe delivery of the prerequisites for decommissioning.”

Hendry concluded: “Using predominantly local labour and the supply chain, we will seek to build on this success throughout the lifetime of the framework by continually looking to remove barriers and maximise future opportunities.”

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