Second super-contract for Sellafield
15 October 2012
Sellafield Ltd has announced a joint venture of multidisciplinary construction and engineering companies Morgan Sindall and Arup as its preferred partner to provide a range of infrastructure services to the site under a contract worth a potential £1.1 billion (€1.4 billion).
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| Sellafield: Europe's largest - and most complex - nuclear site |
The contract, which will run for an initial five year period but could be extended for a further ten years, will be signed later this year and will see the two organisations deliver a program management and project delivery service for all infrastructure assets at the site. The contract is primarily aimed at utility assets, such as the on-site provision and distribution of steam, electricity, water supply and compressed air, bulk chemical storage and distribution, civil infrastructure, the site's drainage networks and other facilities including roads, bridges, car parks and general buildings (canteens, laundry, etc). It will also include some non-utility assets such as analytical services facilities, transport systems, flask maintenance plant and emergency management systems.
Dubbed the Infrastructure Strategic Alliance (ISA), the latest agreement follows the Design Service Alliance announced in February, which saw two joint ventures secure a contract worth up to £1.5 billion ($2.3 billion) over 15 years to supply design support services for decommissioning activities at the site. The contracts are part of a new acquisition strategy introduced by Sellafield Ltd's parent body, Nuclear Management Partners, which is anticipated to see long-term contracts worth a total of £9 billion ($14.2 billion) awarded over two years.
According to Sellafield Ltd the ISA will allow it to take advantage of the supply chain to help it to decommission the site quickly and efficiently, while offering better value to the taxpayer. "Long term, collaborative alliances with supply chain partners represent best industry practice and it's important that we seize that opportunity to unlock expertise and innovation and safely deliver our work program quicker and more cost effectively," explained Nuclear Management Partners' deputy managing director for Sellafield Ltd, George Beveridge.
Arup director Jim Johnson described the partnership as "a tremendous win for the team", while Morgan Sindall chief executive Paul Smith said the appointment underlined his group's continuing focus on UK regeneration. Both companies have expressed a desire to work with existing local supply chains.
The Sellafield site is the largest nuclear site in Europe, and with over 1000 nuclear facilities on site ranks as one of the most complex in the world. Today the site is home to a wide range of operations including the decommissioning of redundant buildings associated with its early defence work dating back to the 1940s, used fuel management including reprocessing, and the safe management and storage of nuclear waste.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News