Sellafield awards £4.6bn nuclear decommissioning framework

The Decommissioning and Nuclear Waste Partnership (DNWP) framework covers retrieval of legacy waste materials, remediation of ageing facilities, and treatment and storage of waste, as part of a long-term clean-up mission at Sellafield in Cumbria, which will also be the site of a new nuclear power station.

Four consortia have been appointed across the framework’s lots:

• Lot 1 (Remediation): A2R and Amentum
• Lot 2 (Retrievals – Ponds): The Decommissioning Alliance (TDA)
• Lot 3 (Retrievals – Silos): Nuclear Decommissioning Solutions (NDS)
• Lot 4 (Integrated Nuclear Waste Partner): A2R

A2R is a partnership between AtkinsRéalis and Altrad, while Nuclear Decommissioning Solutions combines Altrad, Cavendish Nuclear and Shepley Engineers. The Decommissioning Alliance is chaired by Westinghouse Environmental Services UK.

Meanwhile, US-based Amentum estimated that its share of work on the framework could be worth £1.4 billion (US$1.9 billion).

The new framework replaces the existing Decommissioning Delivery Partnership (DDP), which expires in 2026, and is intended to provide continuity for ongoing risk-reduction and retrieval programmes on the site.

James Riddick, Sellafield’s chief supply chain officer, said, “Cleaning up the legacy of historic operations on our site is at the heart of our mission. It is important that we achieve this safely, efficiently and sustainably – our supply chain, and this partnership, plays a key role in that.”

Sellafield confirmed that social value and sustainability are central to the framework, aligning with its SiX Multiplied social impact strategy. The partners have committed to initiatives including skills development, apprenticeships, non-profit support and diversification of the regional economy beyond nuclear.