NRS Dounreay
Dinner sponsor
Approximately 180 facilities were built over 4 decades and about 50 have a legacy of radioactive materials that makes their decommissioning hazardous and challenging.
They include two fast reactors cooled by liquid metal, a heavy-water materials test reactor, chemical facilities for the dissolution and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, and legacy waste facilities above and below ground. In addition, the marine environment around the site has a legacy of radioactive particles from historic practices.
Approximately 1400 people are employed directly on the clean-up by Nuclear Restoration Services, a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, with many more working across the supply chain. Funding for the clean-up of approximately £225 million a year comes from the Treasury and it is expected to take several decades to complete.