DKC emerges as Trawsfynydd preferred bidder

The Doosan Keltbray Consortium has been selected by Magnox as preferred bidder for nuclear decommissioning work at the latter’s Trawsfynydd Nuclear Power Station in North Wales, UK, with mobilisation and preparatory work having already commenced. The contract, valued at £29 million (US$46 million), is intended to be completed with the site entering its care and maintenance phase by 2016, well ahead of the date originally planned.

Work to be undertaken covers the de-planting and demolition of the cooling ponds complex, covering the removal of pipework, tanks and cooling equipment, some of which has become radioactively contaminated during the station’s operational life and earlier phases of demolition. The consortium has carried out similar work at other sites, including the de-planting of the boiler houses at Bradwell Power Station, completed a month ahead of schedule after two and a half years of work, during which 250,000 man hours were recorded without a single lost-time incident.

According to Trawsfyndd Magnox site director Peter Burns: “Decommissioning the ponds complex is one of the major projects on the site and its completion will signify a major milestone in our journey to care and maintenance.”

Keltbray’s managing director for rail & infrastructure, Phill Price, said of the contract: “the success of this project will rest on delivering a safe project, on time and to budget. However, a key element of our programme of works involves working with the local teams to look at how we create long term opportunities beyond the lifetime of the Trawsfynydd site. The Doosan Keltbray Consortium is committed to making this a reality.”