Sellafield Ltd, through the Decommissioning and Nuclear Waste Partners (DNWP) Framework opportunity, is seeking to bring together five partners across four Lots to provide a full suite of expertise and support to deliver decommissioning activities and projects, including asset care. Delivery will be across nuclear facilities on the Sellafield licenced site that are in mix of states including operational, post operation clean out (POCO), decommissioning and demolition. Consequently, the scope of work for the DNWP Framework will include construction delivery, demolition related works, associated technical services (including safety case and design) and waste management with the scope aligned across the following four Lots:
• Lot 1 Remediation:
o Partner 1 - within High Security Areas
o Partner 2 - outside High Security Areas
• Lot 2 Pond Retrievals Partner
• Lot 3 Silos Retrievals Partner
• Lot 4 Integrated Nuclear Waste Partner
Lot 1 - two Remediation Partners (Sellafield’s intention is that one of the Remediation Partners will be required to work inside of the high security area (“HSA”) and the other Remediation Partner will work outside of the HSA);
Remediation is about cleaning up the Sellafield site over the next century as safely and cost-effectively as possible. As an asset reaches the end of its operational life, remediation addresses the nuclear, radiological and conventional risks through post-operation clean-out, decommissioning, demolition and land remediation. The focus of waste informed nuclear decommissioning up to 2040 includes clearing redundant buildings to make land available for beneficial re-use and preparing to decommission the UK’s oldest nuclear reactor complexes and nuclear fuel handling facilities.
Lot 1 will consist of two Remediation Partners. The Remediation value stream will have a growing scope as more and more of the Sellafield site moves from operations into remediation and decommissioning. This will be reflected in a growing investment over the lifetime of the DNWP framework, subject to annual public sector funding constraints.
Lot 2 will consist of a Ponds Partner, encompassing both the First Generation Magnox Storage Pond (“FGMSP”) , associated buildings and the Pile Fuel Storage Pond (“PFSP”). and associated buildings.
Legacy Ponds is the Operating Unit (OU) organisation within the Retrievals value stream of Sellafield that is charged with managing the programmes of work for the FGMSP and the PFSP. These are two legacy nuclear storage ponds that retain significant radiological materials and hazards that require timely mitigation, principally by retrieving the materials to downstream treatment and storage/disposal facilities while maintaining a safe and secure environment.
Lot 3 will consist of a Silos Partner, encompassing both the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (“MSSS”) and Pile Fuel Cladding Silo (“PFCS”). The Retrievals value stream is responsible for managing the site’s major hazard and risk reduction programme: retrieving the waste from Sellafield’s four highest risk legacy storage facilities. These buildings have traditionally presented some of the greatest challenges on the Sellafield site, but major progress is now being made on retrieving waste from the two ponds and the MSSS, with final preparations being made to retrieve waste from the PFCS.
Lot 4 will consist of a single enterprise-wide Integrated Nuclear Waste Partner. This Nuclear Waste Partner will work through the Waste Operating Unit (“Waste OU”). The Waste OU is part of the Remediation Portfolio, it includes a dedicated programme providing enabling activities across the Sellafield enterprise with major customers being the DNWP Remediation & Retrievals Partners.