Sellafield, the company responsible for delivering decommissioning of the UK’s nuclear legacy announced that Darchem Engineering has been awarded a contract potentially valued at up to GBP 50M, for the provision of high-integrity steel storage containers for nuclear waste. This is the second contract to supply three metre cubed boxes, the first of which was awarded to Metalcraft earlier in May, which will together total some GBP 100M.
Metalcraft was chosen because of the quality and value for money, as well as for the socio-economic commitments it made to deliver a package that includes new jobs and apprenticeships. Darchem is already committed to West Cumbria. It has an office in the area and has previous experience in supplying to Sellafield, including providing an access gantry to support the recent retrieval of radioactive sludge from the one of the historic nuclear fuel storage ponds.
Photo courtesy of Sellafield Ltd
The 3m3 boxes will provide a safe and secure storage solution for historic nuclear waste that is to be retrieved from the Pile Fuel Cladding Silo on the Sellafield site. Darchem and Metalcraft will have to prove volume production can be achieved to the required quality and throughput rate in the first phase of the contract. The second phase for steady state volume production to manufacture in total some 2200 3m3 boxes will then be awarded subject to performance.
