August 2017 dounreay.com

The magazine for the Dounreay team

Dounreay

See page 3

Breeder team has success on its plate

It doesn't matter what your job is or

who your employer is, if you are

working at Dounreay this applies to

you. Without question, safety,

security and environmental

protection must always come first

and in this edition you can see some

of our successes, including winning

top awards at the British Safety

Council.

Complacency can be our worst

enemy and so our professionalism

booklet sets out some simple

behaviours to think about and help

question ourselves before we set off

doing our work each day.

Procedural use and adherence is the

first standard that we are focusing

on. We need to constantly review our

documentation, check we

understand it and ensure it remains

fit-for-purpose. If you find a problem

with any procedure or document you

have the right to stop work until it can

be corrected.

This is all part of our journey to

achieve decommissioning excellence

and ensure that we all go home safe

every day. It is a challenge that will

never go away and requires all of us

to remain vigilant and look after

ourselves, our colleagues and the

environment.

Phil CraigManaging

Director

Earlier this month we launched Dounreay Professionalism – bringing together 12 standards and expectations for everyone working at the site

CNC officersinvolved in Operation Temperer

Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) firearms officers from Dounreay provided armed support elsewhere following the recent terrorist attackA number of officers from Dounreay were deployed to support police colleagues in Northumbria and elsewhere under Operation Temperer following the terrorist attack in Manchester in May.

Some of the officers were based in Newcastle and provided high visibility armed patrols at key transport hubs including the railway station and airport, as well as crowded places such as the city centre and major shopping centres, providing reassurance and being ready in the event of any threat to the public.

Dounreay's Divisional Superintendent Martin O'Kane said: “Our deployment under Operation Temperer is a well-tested plan, not only working with partner agencies but with our site licence companies.

“We worked with Dounreay during this operation to ensure that the safety and the security of the site was not compromised. We have in-built resilience to achieve this.

“I am very pleased at the feedback received from Northumbria Police and other forces, as well as the general public, on the work my officers undertook in providing support and reassurance.

“I am very proud of all my officers, including those who remained behind to protect Dounreay and the surrounding area as well as those who were deployed further afield.”

2

3

Breeder team has success on its plate

The first cut into a top plate within Dounreay Fast Reactor (DFR) has been completed allowing access to the inside of the vessel where almost 1,000 breeder elements remain waiting to be recoveredRemoval of these elements from the reactor's outer breeder zone is now set to begin following the award of a licence instrument by the Office for Nuclear Regulation.

Work originally began to remove the core fuel and breeder material when DFR was shut down in 1977 before being stopped in the early 1980s.

The plan is to transfer the remaining elements to a purpose built containment

facility, where they will be cut open to remove the uranium fuel slugs, washed and packaged in preparation for being shipped to Sellafield.

When all the breeder material has been removed from the reactor, work will start to clear residual NaK liquid metal coolant from the reactor internals before dismantling of the landmark structure begins.

Ron Hibbert,Senior Project Manager:

“Defuelling DFR is one of the top priorities in the UK for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The safe and timely retrieval of the breeder material is crucial to both the site's closure plan and the national defuelling programme.

“Dismantling DFR has presented Dounreay with many unique challenges over the years and the team of staff and contractors involved remain totally committed and are working extremely hard to ensure we are ready for the next phase of taking apart the 60 year old reactor.”

BFR cell interior

Breeder removal machine during commissioning

DFR reactor core

1,000

80lbs

approximate numberof breeder elementsstill in the reactor

weight of eachbreeder rod

Top safety awardsfor Dounreay

Dounreay has taken the top award in its sector at the British Safety Council's prestigious international safety awardsThe sector awards recognise best practice across 13 different industries after scrutiny by a panel of independent adjudicators.

Dounreay was also one of only 31 organisations worldwide to receive an International Safety Award with distinction following rigorous assessment of its health and safety policies and procedures.

Jacqueline Macleod and Kirsten Johnson from the safety team collected the trophies on behalf of the company at an event which also celebrated the 60th anniversary of the British Safety Council.

Chief Nuclear Officer Steve Beckitt commented: “I am proud that Dounreay has been judged to be an outstanding business in the power and utilities sector.

“The commitment to continuous improvement of our health and safety culture and performance will always be our number one priority.”

4

The British Safety Council International Safety Awards recognise organisations from around the world who have demonstrated a commitment to protecting their workers from the risk of injury or illness at work

Did you know

Brakes are off asreactor clean-up moves forward

Engineers at Dounreay have raided a scrap car and a kitchen can opener to help decommission one of the reactors

The handbrake from a vintage 1968 Ford Cortina has been used to help steer a camera, attached to wheels taken from can openers, into the Prototype Fast Reactor (PFR) where a detailed survey of inside the plant was completed.

The physical space and radiological conditions inside the reactor make it impossible for workers to access in person, meaning photographs play a key role in understanding how best to proceed with dismantling the redundant facility.

Chris Irwin, Senior Design Engineer, came up with the inventive approach: “I was opening a can of beans at home and I realised that the cutting wheel of a can opener was exactly what was needed to make the required diamond shaped wheel.

“I bought four of them and took the wheels off. The camera needed to be guided over obstacles within the reactor, so we realised

the incremental nature of the clicks on a handbrake would give us the precise control that we needed.”

This is the latest in a long line of novel approaches developed by the site's workforce with blu-tack and Cillit Bang among the everyday items that have previously been used to ensure that the best value is achieved on behalf of the site's owner, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Chris added: “We are delivering one of the most challenging closure programmes in Europe, but this is another example where innovative, simple solutions prove critical in delivering complex projects.”

“..innovative, simple solutions prove critical in delivering complex projects”

5

Dounreay is adopting cutting techniques used in the oil and gas industry to cut up the steel structures in a redundant fuel pond

The team working in D1204 will be

going to Aberdeen for specialised

training in remotely operated

underwater diamond wire cutting.

The training will allow the

decommissioning operatives to size

reduce and remove the submerged

steel structures in the D1204 pond,

using a recently installed crane.

The team will use the crane to lower

the diamond wire cutting equipment

into position and clamp it onto the

steelwork. The cutting equipment will

then be raised with the cut steel

section, which will be sentenced to

the appropriate waste route.

By carrying out this operation

remotely the anticipated dose

accrued by D1204 operators will be

kept as low as reasonably possible.

Underwater diamond wire cutting is

already widely used in the oil and

gas industry and in this application it

will allow the underwater structures to

be cut and removed by remote

operations.

Cut Nuclear, the leading

subcontractor for the provision of

diamond wire cutting tooling, is

supplying the equipment and

providing operator training at their

dedicated training facility in

Aberdeen.

6

Opportunity for SMEsto help decommissionDounreay

Small and medium enterprises (SME) are being invited to collaborate on work for DounreayHead of Commercial Services, Stephen Adamson, presented the new scheme to the industry at the 2017 Nuclear Supply Chain event in Dunblane in June.

LINC with Dounreay encourages SMEs to collaborate on innovative and diverse solutions to the decommissioning programme at Dounreay. This will be offered in the format of roughly eight packages of work over a year across various disciplines and directorates, each package being a maximum value of £150,000.

SMEs can register from early August with the first work package due to be announced in September. The commercial department is proud of the new one-time registration process they are offering for the scheme and hope it will encourage SMEs to be part of the opportunity.

Stephen said: “I would be delighted to see local firms joining forces with others around the country and beyond. This scheme could help those relationships develop and grow, with businesses working together again elsewhere. Promoting and encouraging the capability that exists within the Caithness and North Sutherland supply chain is an important part of the socio-economic support we can offer as a site.”

The presentation in Dunblane was well received by both the SME community and the NDA.

Paul Wheelhouse, the Scottish Government's Minister for Business, Innovation and Energy - who delivered the keynote speech - was also supportive.

Staff enjoy annualworkout

Over 500 people have taken part in the third Workout at Work event at DounreayOnce again the weather was kind and the

sun kept shining.

As well as the annual walk around site, staff

were also able to participate in gentle

exercise sessions run by Emma Bremner of

True North Yoga.

Workout at Work Day is an annual

awareness day organised by the Chartered

Society of Physiotherapy. Throughout the

UK, workplaces use this day to promote the

importance of being active during the

working day.

Recent studies have shown that inactivity is

the fourth biggest killer of adults in Britain.

Those that sit the most have around twice

the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardio

vascular disease. The negative health

impact is not changed even with some

moderate to vigorous physical activity later

in the day.

Emma Bremner• Use a toilet in a different building

• Go for a walk round the car parks at lunch time

• Stand up to answer your telephone

• Go and speak to people rather than sitting at the desk and emailing them

• Put 'standing up' as an agenda item

• Have a walking meeting

• Use a sit-to-stand desk at your workstation

• Every hour take a brisk walk around the building

7

8

Calder Engineering Ltd is an established local

contractor based in Thurso, who recently became

part of the Dounreay mechanical, electrical, control

and instrumentation services (major) framework

They specialise in fabrication, coded welding and machining, backed up with maintenance, installation, commissioning and mock-up services. They have a general fabrication workshop and also a separate stainless steel workshop.

Director Marena Calder said: “We welcome the exciting and challenging projects that being part of the mechanical and EC&I framework may bring. We have a highly skilled and customer focused team in place who are driven to deliver a high quality product that offers the client both value for money and excellent service”.

Calder Engineering has been in business for 29 years and has a proven track record of

Supply chain in the spotlight:

Calder Engineering Ltd

Sands of time run out for DFRArchive Manager Ian

Pearson has produced

a reactor-themed

version of the humble

egg timer

Ian is well known for his glassblowing skills having been recruited in 1981 as the site's scientific glass blower. He created all sorts of interesting items for the many scientists to help satisfy their research requirements.

Ian says: "In those early days I was asked many times to make glass items for retirement presentations and a popular item was always a glass model of the Dounreay Fast Reactor (DFR)".

He recently worked with the Scottish Glass Society for their upcoming exhibition in Edinburgh, the theme of which is Heritage. Ian responded by creating a hollow version of a glass DFR filled with sand that perhaps could be used as a version of the classic egg timer.

Ian muses: "The thought process behind the concept is that DFR is such an iconic image representing the nuclear heritage of Scotland; yet the whole aspect of nuclear power seems to be finely balanced such that the question is always posed: when will time run out?"

“Of course with my glass DFR, time will never run out as the sand just flows in different directions, up and down."

delivering precision projects. Director Colin Calder added: “Our depth of engineering experience, combined with our knowledge of the Dounreay site, will enable us to support and contribute to the ongoing programme.”

As part of their commitment to ensuring engineering skills for future generations they have an apprenticeship programme and also assist in training Dounreay's apprentices, offering three month work placements. Jack Hamilton, a third year Dounreay mechanical apprentice, is currently working with them. He said it was: “A great opportunity for fabrication and machining experience in a commercial environment”.

Jack is pictured assisting with factory acceptance tests at the company's workshop.

9

Nuclear firms turn outfor Dounreay framework

Around 200 people representing more than 90 of the UK's top nuclear supply chain organisations have taken part in a market engagement day to find out more about the next stage of Dounreay's decommissioningThe event, held in Manchester, followed the publication of a prior information notice in the Official Journal of the European Union signalling the company's intention to consider awarding a framework for decommissioning services.

Stephen Adamson, Head of Commercial, said: “We are gearing up for the work that is in the decommissioning plan in the next few years. That involves a lot of construction and demolition activity which is where we need, and will benefit from, the support of the supply chain.”

Because of the scale of the activities needed, the value of the framework has been estimated at £300 - £600 million over a contract period of up to seven years, but where work could actually be delivered over a decade. This is broadly in line with the company's existing supply chain spend which totalled £110 million last year.

David Lowe, Deputy Managing Director, said: “Decommissioning Dounreay will always be a partnership between staff and the supply chain. Part of our resource planning is to identify what we can deliver ourselves and where we need to look for support. It is a testament to the work we are delivering that so many companies showed up and want to work here.”

Multiple companies would be expected to be appointed to the framework and the local supply chain could play a big role, either as bidders or subcontractors. Trudy Morris, Chief Executive of the Chamber of Commerce, was on hand at the event to debut a new film and updated nuclear directory which has been funded by Dounreay's socio-economic programme and showcases the capability that already exists in the county.

Presenters including Phil Cartwright, Deputy Reactors Director, and George Sinclair, Deputy Waste Director, talked attendees through the activities expected to be delivered as the site progresses towards the interim end state and a film, covering the overall event, is available on the intranet.

Stephen added: “Feedback from those who attended the event is being considered and this will help us develop the detail about the formal invitation to tender which is expected later this year.”

10

New laboratories nowfully operational

The new D2176 active analysis laboratories are open for business after completing the transfer from D1200Located in the first nuclear facility of its kind to be built using modular construction, the facility for the radiometric and chemical analysis of radioactive materials provides six laboratories to allow Dounreay to comply with its statutory and environmental monitoring requirements and to provide waste characterisation, decommissioning support and analytical data to demonstrate delivery of the interim end state requirements.

The labs were previously located in D1200 which is now being stripped as part of the fuel cycle area hazard reduction and decommissioning work, in preparation for final demolition.

The facility accommodates 37 active fume cupboards, a four section glove box and a specialised nuclear ventilation system with heavier, more complex ductwork compared to other modular construction.

It also includes gaseous and liquid discharge filtration systems and a gaseous discharge stack.

Labs and Analytical Support Manager, Jeremy Andrew said: “I have a dedicated and committed team of people who have worked together and, in collaboration with others across the site, have transferred a complex analytical capability from D1200 to D2176, whilst at the same time continuing to provide the required analytical services.”

As well as laboratories to analyse radioactive materials, the new facilities also include offices, drench showers and chemical preparation facilities in the active area, with accommodation for offices, plant and locker rooms in the clean area. This facility has been designed to operate for the duration of the site closure programme.

11

37

20

active fume cupboardsin the facility

number of peopleworking in the building

£9M31,300m

building contract awarded to thePortakabin Group

size of the building which was manufacturedin York

25years is the expected life of the facility tosupport decommissioning

Emergency exercisetests site

Dounreay successfully demonstrated its emergency arrangements to the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) as part of an annual exercise to test its capabilitiesThe exercise tested the site's response to a challenging scenario containing both safety and security events.

Desktop contingency planning exercises were also undertaken once the demonstration exercise had ended.

ONR deemed the exercise to be an "adequate" demonstration of the site's emergency arrangements but has identified areas for improvement.

Feedback has been received from all exercise participants and several learning points have been highlighted which will be considered and taken forward as appropriate.

12

Ken Nicol, Senior Manager

Resilience, said: "We wanted to

challenge the site by combining

both radiological and security

incidents into one narrative. We

will now work on the areas where

we can make improvements.

13

Visit empowers Women's Network

Dounreay has welcomed Adrienne Kelbie, chief executive of the

Office for Nuclear Regulation, for her first visit to the siteShe met representatives from Dounreay's

Women's Network for a question and answer

session in her role as patron of Women in

Nuclear UK (WiN UK).

WiN UK's mission is to address the

industry's gender balance, to improve the

representation of women in leadership, and

to engage with the public on nuclear issues.

Adrienne said: “I believe that diverse teams

make the best teams, and that it is

everyone's responsibility to work in an

inclusive and empowering way. It was a

pleasure to discuss this with the Dounreay

Women's Network.”

Two representatives from Dounreay attended the launch of the Magnox Women's Network in Birmingham during June.

A series of exchange visits are being

scheduled between Cavendish

Nuclear, Dounreay and Magnox over

the coming months.

The aim of the visits is to share

learning and experience across all of

our sites, and offer opportunities for

some of our employees to see what

is happening across our industry.

The first visits involved two female

employees from Dounreay visiting

the Magnox sites. Amy Sutherland,

an assistant project manager visited

Chapelcross shadowing Denise

Dodd, a senior project manager

within the plant and structures

programme. In addition,

environmental advisor Lora Jane

Kelly visited her equivalent team at

Oldbury, shadowing Martina

Mullarkey, a technical assistant

based at Oldbury Technical Centre.

Zoe's storyAfter joining the Dounreay Women's

Network Zoe Sinclair wanted to learn

more about the training being offered

to the members by Women@Work

Billed as a workshop to empower and motivate women, 'Be more confident – be you' was a one day session held in Thurso arranged through the Women's Network.

Zoe said: “I didn't feel very confident before going on the training, but a colleague who I went with gave me some words of encouragement and told me to believe in myself more.

“The training has made me feel more self-confident, assertive and able to stand up for myself in certain situations at work and at home and has helped me have better relationships with my colleagues.

“I've been inspired to put myself forward and look at career opportunities at Dounreay that I would never have considered before. I work as a stores

operator and am a site safety representative and, after 18 years on site, I will seek the help I need to gain the qualifications required to apply for safety related jobs, which has always been a personal career goal.

“Thanks to the training this now feels like something I can do and through the support of the Women's Network I am excited about the future and what I could achieve.”

The Workers' Educational Association Women@Work is a network providing information, support and learning to women in the Highlands. The project aims to dismantle the barriers caused by rural isolation, poverty, and inequality, and to give women a voice in the home, at work and in the community.

County looks to Norway for career inspiration

Young people in Caithness will be among the first in Scotland to benefit from new Norwegian style learning centres

The centres are aimed at helping young people pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and digital (STEMD).

They are being developed by the Science Skills Academy, a partnership project led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, with £3 million from the Inverness and Highland City Region Deal.

Caithness Sutherland and North Regeneration Partnership Programme Manager, Eann Sinclair, who will take over as chair of the local steering group, said: “We are currently finalising the programme for the next three to five years, as addressing skills requirements will continue to be an absolutely fundamental part of our activities. We are confident that the first centre in Scotland could be live in Caithness by the end of this year.

“I believe we will have a very strong programme of work to enthuse and support young people to gain skills relevant to the opportunities ahead for our economy.”

The centres will be modelled on Norwegian Newton Rooms, which work with schools and local employers to provide inspirational STEMD education in the most remote parts of Norway.

Ben Philpotts and Alex Jones

have been appointed to the Young

Nuclear Safety Professionals'

Forum (YNSPF) board

The YNSPF, a sub group of the Nuclear Institute's Safety Directors' Forum (SDF), is establishing a pool of the best young minds in the nuclear industry from which the SDF will be able to allocate suitable short term projects.

Ben is leading the Criticality Safety in Decommissioning Tasks sub group. He said: “This is a great opportunity for me to take the lead in a project, providing practical experience of leadership early in my career.”

Alex, part of the Radiological Contamination of Wounds sub group, is helping to write best practice guidance and methodology which will be published by the Nuclear Institute

He said: “This opportunity is vital to my career development. It allows me to

network and problem solve with my peers throughout the industry.”

Three more Dounreay graduates have been recruited as associate members to assist the forum with projects with the numbers expected to increase in the coming year.

Bryan Dods, Alex's mentor, said: “These sub groups provide us with great learning from experience opportunities. The work that these guys are doing can be used on a practical level on site."

"It is a great accolade for the young professionals who are the only representatives from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority estate on the board."

Nine graduates attended the European Nuclear Young Generation Forum bringing together young professionals and students in the nuclear industryAs well as attending the different events held during the week, the team hosted a workshop outlining the challenges of decommissioning a complex nuclear site. The workshop was well attended and the graduates received great feedback from the delegates.

Dounreay graduate Declan Kirkby said: “Attending the forum was an amazing opportunity for us to network and share knowledge with our peers from all around Europe.”

14

Pictured (from left) the graduates are: Calum Murdoch (workshop manager), Ashleigh Fenton, Alan McGill, Jake Hanson, Michael Judt, Declan Kirby, Becky

Gerrard, Alex Jones and Ryan Mackay

Adam Shone

Adam recently joined the Security and Resilience Directorate after a decade of working for the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC).

How long have you worked in Security?I have been embedded with the team for about 18 months but only recently joined Dounreay Site Restoration Limited. I originally worked as a liaison between the CNC and Security.

Tell us about your time with the CNC?I worked with the CNC at Dounreay for over 10 years, working through the ranks until I became a police inspector.

Working for the CNC is a family tradition, my father and two of my uncles worked for the CNC. There has been a Shone in the CNC for the last 38 years, with a combined family service of 107 years.

Are you enjoying your new role?I am really enjoying my new role as I have the chance to evolve my career while receiving industry recognised training.

What do you like to do outside work?I really enjoy travelling to watch mixed martial arts events.

ONE

ONEw i t h

15

Operator trainingan investment inthe future

The Fuels directorate has given new operators the chance to earn a nationally recognised qualificationThe new initiative saw 15 volunteers work towards the qualification, with four having already passed and the remaining 11 scheduled to complete it this calendar year.

The volunteers will gain an NVQ level two diploma in process industries operations.

Mick Smith and Sean Atkinson were trained to be new assessors within the fuels team as part of the scheme.

“It allows them to gain transferrable skills”

Stephen Cashmore, Dounreay Internal

Verifier said: “Successful NVQ

candidates will have a nationally

recognised award which will assist them

to transition to other careers either

within the nuclear industry, or in related

process industries, when their role in

the Dounreay decommissioning project

is complete.

“At present there are 18 Dounreay

operators registered as candidates on

the diploma. Five of these have

completed the award and have received

their certificates. The remaining

candidates are making excellent

progress and expect to complete by the

end of this year.”

Security Manager, Projects

16

Check out Dounreay’s

latest social media

activity . . .

Don’t forget to like and follow Dounreay on social media

Inter-site collaboration brings work to Caithness

Dounreay and Magnox are sharing information on the treatment of radioactive waste

Magnox Limited is conducting trials work

at Berkshire Engineering's (BES) newly

established facility in Bower, Caithness, in

support of an innovative design for the

treatment of radioactive waste at their

Hinkley Point site.

The work builds on previous trials carried

out by the Dounreay shaft and silo team

to solidify radioactive sludge, and is being

used to develop an efficient method of 3

solidifying sludge in 6m reinforced

concrete boxes.

Nathan Mills, Engineering Design

Manager for the Magnox intermediate

level waste pre-conditioning project said:

“The Dounreay team has provided

invaluable information from their test

programme that has led to this

development work. Conducting the work

in Caithness gives us direct access to the

experience and knowledge from the shaft

and silo team.”

Andrew Polson, Consultant Engineer

with the shaft and silo team, is leading the

work on behalf of BES at the Bower

facility. He commented that the

experience gained from developing a

waste processing solution for the shaft

and silo can be used to address similar

issues faced by many projects across the

NDA estate.

BES Managing Director Ian Griffiths,

said: “Our choice to locate in Caithness

was an easy one. The availability of local

ports enable us to import and export our

equipment around the world and with the

wealth of available local engineering

knowledge and expertise, we can develop

our technologies to the highest

standards.

“We are excited by the opportunities that

our new facility presents and we look

forward to what the future will bring.”

Dounreay safety representative Hilary

McGlasson has received an accolade for

her contribution to a UK safety forum

The Steve Best Award is given to a person in appreciation of their effort and dedication they have made in making a significant contribution to the success of the BP Safety Reps Forum.

Hilary has been involved for many years, and has been an active supporter of the site's involvement with safety representatives in the oil and gas industry.

BP chair of the forum Stuart Mann said: “Hilary brings a very special process safety perspective to our events. Her energy and enthusiasm in the cause of safety in the workplace has been infectious and she never fails to bring at least one good practice to each meeting to share with her colleagues.

“This award is in recognition of her dedication and significant contribution to the success of the BP UK Safety Reps Forum over many years.”

Hilary said: “Having been introduced to the forum many years ago by John Deighan I was immediately struck by its passion, dedication, professionalism and organisation and this hasn't changed over the many years I have been attending.

“My participation has developed me personally and professionally, allowing me to participate in some amazing events, learn new skills, open my mind to new ways of

17

thinking and meet a fantastic group of like-minded people who have the safety of others at the forefront of everything they do at work and at home.

“I would like to personally thank BP for continuing to invite the DSRL Safety Reps to attend their forum. Regardless of what industry you work in, we all have similar concerns, issues and problems. By coming together in this forum we can talk, find answers and solutions to ensure that the safety of everybody continues to be truly our number one priority.”

In 2011 the annual Steve Best Award for

“outstanding contribution” to the work

of safety representatives in Britain’s oil

and gas sector was given to another

industry for the first time when it was

awarded to Dounreay.

Did you know

Views sought on phase three planning

A number of drop in sessions were held

around Caithness as part of the process

for submitting the so called third phase

planning application which is expected

later this year.

Agreement was reached with the

Highland Council more than a decade

ago that the site would apply for the

various planning permissions needed in

three different phases up to the point of

reaching an interim end state. Phase two

began in 2012 and is due to end next

year when, subject to approval, the third

phase will begin.

The local community has been given the chance to have its say ahead of a planning application for the next phase of decommissioning Dounreay

18

Carl Beck, Dounreay's Planning Manager,

said: “A substantial amount of work is

undertaken to prepare for this application.

From the Environmental Closure and

Demolition team producing a 300 page

environmental statement to Communications

creating various animations demonstrating

the site at different stages of the journey and

Community Relations planning all the public

engagement, this is a huge and real team

effort.”

Phase three is expected to include a number

of construction projects such as a flask

handling facility as well as the work you

would be more likely to expect during

decommissioning, demolition. Most of the

site, including all the reactors, will be

demolished during this phase. Only the

waste stores and a few support buildings will

remain on the site.

Events were held in Reay, Wick and Thurso

and the documents are now available on the

company's website, with comments

welcome until the end of August.

Artist impression of IES view

19

Dounreay welcomed a Nuclear Decommissioning Authority sponsored visit from representatives of the Japanese Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) last month. The group was accompanied by representatives from International Nuclear Services and had a series of presentations, meetings and facility tours. This visit was part of an international collaboration in nuclear decommissioning.

Representatives of the Nuclear Energy Agency Radioactive Waste Management Committee have visited the site. The committee supports international co-operation in the management of material from nuclear installations.

Sellafield chief executive officer, Paul Foster, visited Dounreay in June to see the progress being made to begin the shipment of breeder elements to Sellafield.

Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) officers at Dounreay have raised £2,150 for the North Highland cancer information and support centreCNC hosted their annual charity football

match in memory of colleague Phil

Williams-Blake, with teams from CNC

Dounreay, Hunterston, Caithness Ladies

and Dounreay Fire and Rescue Service

(DFARS) taking part. CNC Hunterston

came out as the overall winners.

The football match was followed by a

social evening and raffle which was very

well attended by the football players and

guests. During the evening the winners

were presented with the Phil Williams-

Blake perpetual shield.

Mike Bowden, CNC said: “I would like to

thank the Dounreay employees who

showed their support towards this local

charity and the Dounreay Employee

Charity Fund who very generously

donated £600 which significantly boosted

the money raised.”

Produced and edited by

Dounreay Communications ©2017

Feedback: Communications@dounreay.com

Students get ReadySteady for Work

20 PR NP2017 June A3.CDR (07/17)

Students looking for a practical alternative to higher education were given a helping hand by the Ready Steady Work courseIn partnership with North Highland College, Dounreay staff delivered the course to six senior secondary school students in early July.

The course is aimed at students who do not want to go onto higher education but are unsure what path to take or where to start. It provides them with the practical skills and information required to support their move into employment.

Over a three day period the students were given advice on self-development, helped to review their skills, and visited local industry to understand the types of jobs that are currently available in the county and likely to emerge in the near future.

They then developed a CV and participated in a mock interview. The students were awarded a certificate from the college. Marie Mackay, Community Relations Coordinator, who delivered the course, said: “This is the fifth year we have delivered this course and it is so rewarding to see the students' confidence grow over the week.

“They leave with a feeling of self-belief and a realisation that there are employment opportunities in the area; no matter what sector interests them. The course gives them the base blocks to their future and information on how

they can achieve their ambition, but ultimately it is now up to them to act upon what they learnt.” The students are pictured here after receiving their certificates from Donald MacBeath, Principal of the college. From left they are: Rhona Gill and Marie Mackay (both Dounreay), Kieran Norburn, Rebecca Sutherland, James Alexander, Samantha Campbell, Alexander Hunter, Alan Ball and Donald MacBeath.