UKAEA ^{A World Leader in Decommissioning & Waste Management.}

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Project background

Winfrith is situated approximately halfway between Wareham and Dorchester in Dorset. UKAEA acquired the site in 1957, and over the next 40 years it gained a worldwide reputation for scientific excellence – particularly in reactor safety. In the 1990s, when the UK Government ended research into nuclear fission, a decommissioning programme was started with the aim of restoring Winfrith’s environment and releasing the land for other uses.

Key challenges

The main challenge was to safely manage the environmental restoration programme on the 343-acre site, including decommissioning redundant nuclear facilities, managing radioactive wastes from past work and remediating any contaminated land. Winfrith lies in a 250-hectare area of rare heath land, designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), so careful management of this area was also essential.

As Winfrith was a key local employment site, we also sought to minimise the impact of decommissioning on the economy by regenerating the land for sustainable future use.

Finally, we aimed to reduce the time and cost of decommissioning – delivering a programme that brought value for money to the taxpayer and achieved restoration as quickly as possible.

Our approach

We have planned and implemented a clear programme for progressive removal of the nuclear facilities at Winfrith. So far, we have decommissioned seven of the nine experimental reactors. More than 400,000 square feet of other buildings and research facilities have been removed from site. Nearly ten acres of site have also been de-licensed and made available for new use – the largest area at a UK nuclear site to date.

In addition, innovative programme planning has enabled us to cut the time needed for decommissioning by 35 years and save almost £300 million on original targets.

Working under contract to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, we continue to deliver safe, cost-effective and environmentally sound plans designed to the highest programme management standards.

In parallel with the clean-up programme, we fostered the regeneration of the site as a thriving science and technology centre. We worked with local agencies to create new commercial premises and attract a diverse range of tenants.

We also adopted a Heath land Management Plan in agreement with English Nature, and established close links with conservation bodies in order to preserve the heath land habitat and the wildlife it supports.

The results

We are on course to meet the accelerated 2020 target for releasing Winfrith for unrestricted use, making it a flagship demonstration project for the UK. Using our programme management skills, we will look to further refine and accelerate our plans for the full restoration of the Winfrith site.

The Winfrith Technology Centre (now owned and operated by English Partnerships) is a well-established location for business and now houses around 40 companies, employing over 1,000 people.