The contractor in charge of cleanup of the retired fast-reactor research and development facility at Dounreay, Scotland, said Friday it expects next year to select a subcontractor to demolish the country’s oldest nuclear reactor.
A formal notice for bids to manage teardown of the Dounreay Materials Test Reactor (DMTR) will be posted in the Official Journal of the European Union, according to a press release from Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd. The release did not say when the notice would be published.
The three-year contract is expected to be valued at roughly £7 million ($9.1 million), and to be awarded in the first six months of 2018.
The reactor operated from 1958 to 1969, used to analyze how irradiation would impact metals. It was defueled shortly after closure, and the ongoing remediation program at Dounreay has already eliminated cooling towers and other nearby support infrastructure for the reactor, the release says. The last remaining support building is due for demolition before the close of 2017.
“The removal of DMTR from the skyline will be a significant step for Dounreay, and will be a real and visible sign of the decommissioning progress being made,” project manager Bill Lambie said in prepared comments.
Dounreay Site Restoration is a partnership of Cavendish Nuclear, CH2M, and AECOM.
