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July Courses – held at Dounreay (ie, only available to Site pass holders)...
1977 shaft explosion
During the night shift of May 10, 1977 an explosion occurred at the shaft which caused severe damage to the superstructure....
2008 Heritage News
Friday 12 December 2008...
2009 Heritage News
Wednesday 23 December 2009...
2010 Heritage News
Thursday 28 October 2010 - Archaeologists search LLW disposal site...
2011 - monthly reports
2011 Performance...
2011 - quarterly reports
January 2011...
2012 - monthly reports
2012 performance:...
2012 events
...
About Dounreay
What is Dounreay?...
About us
Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) is the site licence company responsible for the clean-up and demolition of Britain's former centre of fast reactor research and development....
Accommodation
The original Dounreay estate included Tollemache House, Naver House and Ormlie Lodge in Thurso....
Actual Title of Vacancy
Unit/Department: [*** Enter Unit/Department here ***]...
Administrator
Unit/Department: Programme Management Services Unit...
Aerodrome
An aerodrome was constructed at Dounreay during World War Two as part of the air defences for the fleet stationed at Scapa Flow, Orkney, though it never saw any action....
Air
This page is under construction...
All waste
Status - closed...
Annual Reports
Click on the following link to view the DSRL Annual Report & Accounts:...
Archaeology
Prehistoric mounds, cairns, brochs and hut circles have been recorded in Lower Dounreay. Although many of these sites have not been excavated they show that the area was important in prehistory....
Archived Records
Historical records will be published here....
Archives
This is where you will find records and documents of technical or historical interest....
Archives
Since construction began in 1955, photographs, drawings, records and film footage have been archived for posperity. These will be transferred to the new National Nuclear Archive, which is due to be built in Wick, Caithness....
Areas of Expertise
Our areas of expertise cover the following main aspects of developing people:...
At a glance
...
Authorisation
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency registers the keeping and use of radioactive substances in Scotland and regulates the disposal of radioactive waste under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993....
Authorisation
Page under construction...
Bats
A brief ultrasound survey in 2002 recorded around 6-7 clear signals with the characteristics of a common pipistrelle in the area around the old Dounreay Farmhouse....
Beach monitoring
Particles discharged into the sea at Dounreay in the past are known to move around the seabed like grains of sand....
Bee Meadow
...
Behavioural safety
Second Nature is the title of DSRL's behavioural safety programme, the ultimate aim of which is to make safe behaviour second nature....
Biodiversity Action Plan
As a company, DSRL is committed to:...
Birds
Within the perimeter of the Dounreay complex, habitats for birds are limited to the open areas of grassland, a small area of wet heath in the east of the site, and the areas of disturbed ground....
Board
Simon Middlemas – Chairman...
Books
Various books about Dounreay have been published over the years, by employees or others with an interest in Dounreay's history. ...
Boston Camp
In the early 1940s RAF Coastal Command built an airfield at Dounreay, called HMS Tern II, as a satellite of HMS Tern (Twatt, Orkney). A camp was built to house the workers who built the RAF aerodrome, and later the air crew and ground staff....
Breeder
Britain after the Second World War needed electricity to rebuild the economy....
Breeder FAQs
What is breeder?...
Breeder FAQs
DFR breeder material...
Brims Ness
Brims Ness is located six kilometres to the east of Dounreay....
Building Support Operative
JOB SPECIFICATION...
Campaigns
Every month, DSRL raises the profile of a particular aspect of health, safety, environment or security....
Career Planning
Business Start Up...
Cementation plant
Dounreay reprocessed spent fuel from reactors for almost 40 years. The original design of the site included storage tanks for the waste liquor, or raffinate, that would be generated. Initially there was no long-term strategy for managing this waste other than keeping it in tanks....
COMARE
COMARE is the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment....
Commercial & Contract Management
NEC Compensation Events...
Communities Fund
Are you a community-based organisation or charity that benefits people in Caithness and North Sutherland?...
Compensation Scheme
The Compensation Scheme for Radiation Linked Diseases is recognised by employers and trade unions as a fair and just way to address claims arising from occupational exposure to radiation....
Competition
The Energy Act that established the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority in 2005 included a commitment to compete the work carried out at the sites it inherited from UKAEA and BNFL....
Complete
Choose from the menu on the left to find out more about consultations that have now closed....
Compliance
...
Compliance
The activities of the nuclear industry in the UK are governed by several different pieces of safety legislation that operators must comply with:...
Consultation 2003-08
Dounreay recognised the importance of consulting widely about the options for particles in the marine environment before proceeding with the clean-up....
Consultation on end state
In March 2007, following public consultation on a wide range of options for the end state, Dounreay Stakeholder Group recommended -...
Consultations
Public expectations of the nuclear industry today are very different from those of previous generations....
Contact the press office
The press office at Dounreay is contactable 24 hours a day, 365 days a year....
Contact us
Dounreay Site Restoration Limited,...
Contaminated land
Parts of the ground at Dounreay are known to be contaminated....
Contracts Officer /Assistant Contracts Officer
...
Contracts placed
...
Corporate
DSRL takes its obligations to the environment seriously....
Corporate - Safety
DSRL takes its obligations to the environment seriously....
Crosskirk
Cross Kirk is located five kilometres to the east of Dounreay....
Current Vacancies
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd are currently recruiting for the following opportunites:...
D1111 heat exchange
The demolition in 2003 of D1111 was the most significant change to have been made to the skyline of Dounreay....
D1112 workshop
The DFR workshop, known as D1112, was demolished in October 2004....
D1123 sea water pump house
The seawater pumphouse was built in the 1950s on a coastal outcrop below the Dounreay Fast Reactor....
D1211 effluent pits
The effluent disposal system was an essential requirement for operation of the site and was therefore one of the earlier constructions....
D1214 acid tank farm
The D1214 acid tank farm was removed in 2005....
D1218 tanks
The argon and nitrogen facilities known as D1218 were dismantled in 2007....
D1251 offices
The administration area of the complex known as D1251 at Dounreay Materials Test Reactor was demolished in 2006....
D1251workshop
The D1251 workshop near Dounreay Materials Test Reactor was demolished in 2006....
D1252 workshop
The ancillary workshop that served Dounreay Materials Test Reactor was demolished in 2005....
D1334 inactive laundry
Dounreay's inactive laundry was demolished in June 2007....
D1499 farmhouse
Built in 1859, the farmhouse at Lower Dounreay was home to Mrs Elizabeth Nicolson until 1945 and Mr Morris Pottinger until May 1956....
D6000 offices
One of the most visible buildings on the Dounreay site was demolished towards the end of 2006....
D7043 extension
D7043, an extension to a redundant chemical plant, was demolished in 2007....
D8521 offices
An office complex known as D8521 was flattened in 2007....
D8530 sodium lab
D8530, the sodium test facility building, was demolished in 2005....
D8542 offices
The offices known as D8542 were demolished in 2003....
D8542 workshop
A major workshop, built in the 1960s to support Operation Engineering Technology Division (OETD), was demolished in 2003....
D8550 training centre
Part of D8550, the former experimental criticality laboratory, included the site's training centre. This section of the facility was stripped out and demolished in 2005....
D9057
The source storage facility known as D9057 was demolished in March 2010....
D9807
D9807 was demolished early 2011....
D9973 offices
D9773, a former secretarial resources centre that served latterly as the site security office, was demolished in 2007....
D9974 office
The former transport office known as D9974 was demolished over the weekend of March 20 & 21, 2010....
Decision notices
April 9, 2008 - Notice FS50117924 under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (Section 50) and Environmental Information Regulations 2004 - Request for 11 documents...
Decision to empty
On March 31, 1998, the Science, Industry and Energy Minister John Battle announced the UK Government had agreed to empty the shaft. In a written answer, he stated:...
Decommissioning
The facilities built at Dounreay to research and develop the fast reactor system of electricity production are no longer required, so they are being cleaned out and dismantled....
Delivery Information for suppliers to DSRL
...
Demolitions
...
Design Engineer
JOB SPECIFICATION...
Design Engineer
TYPICAL JOB DESCRIPTION – DESIGN ENGINEER...
DFR Breeder
Britain after the war faced an energy crisis....
DFR Breeder
...
DFR History
History of DFR...
DFR infrastructure
D1111 - heat exchange building...
DFR Overview
The Dounreay Fast Reactor was a 60 MW (thermal) experimental fast breeder reactor which went critical in 1959....
Discharge records
Page under construction...
Discharges
Radioactive waste is generated wherever nuclear materials exist. It can contaminate other items, effluents and airflows....
Discharges
Some radioactive waste can be disposed of safely without detriment....
DN013 offices
The DN013 offices that served the Fuel Cycle Area were demolished in September 2006....
DN084 tank farm
The DN084 tank farm was dismantled in 2006....
Document Archive
...
Donations approved
Applications for assistance from Dounreay Communities Fund are administered by Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd on behalf of the sponsors - NDA and Babcock International Group....
Dounreay Castle
Dounreay Castle is located at the mouth of the Mill Lade immediately north of the Dounreay licensed site. ...
Dounreay Castle
Dounreay Castle is located at the mouth of the Mill Lade immediately north of the Dounreay licensed site....
Dounreay Fast Reactor
The experimental fast breeder reactor at Dounreay led British research and development of nuclear energy during the 1950s and 60s....
Dounreay foreshore
The foreshore adjacent to Dounreay can be divided into two areas - the east foreshore and west foreshore....
Dounreay Material Test Reactor
Dounreay Material Test Reactor ...
Dounreay Materials Test Reactor
The Dounreay Materials Test Reactor was the first operational reactor in Scotland. It was constructed to test the effects of irradiation on metals. It began operating in 1958. ...
Dounreay News
...
Dounreay Security Manager
JOB DESCRIPTION...
Dounreay site
Particles were created during the dismantling and reprocessing of used fuel rods and elements in chemical plants that operated at Dounreay from the late 1950s....
Dounreay TV
...
Dounreay weather data
Welcome to the Dounreay weather data....
Dry retrieval
During the 1990s, UKAEA carried out a number of studies to develop a plan for the future management of the waste contained in the shaft....
DSRL activity
On behalf of the NDA, DSRL has provided practical support to a number of local initiatives including:...
DSRL's aims
Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) is the site licence company responsible for the closure programme at Britain's former centre of fast reactor research and development....
Dunnet Bay
The beach at Dunnet Bay is located approximately 22 kilometres to the east of Dounreay, on the shore of the Pentland Firth....
Effluent discharge system
An essential part of the original infrastructure of Dounreay was a system to discharge radioactive effluent from the chemical plants, waste facilities and reactors to the sea....
Electrical Design Engineer
ELECTRICAL DESIGN ENGINEER...
Electrical Distribution Manager
JOB SPECIFICATION...
Electrical Distribution Technician
ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION TECHNICIAN...
Electrical Project Engineer
JOB DESCRIPTION...
Emergency Arrangements
Emergency planning is an important part of the defence-in-depth approach to managing the radioactive and chemical hazards left over from the days of research and development at Dounreay....
Emergency Plan
An important part of the safety arrangements at Dounreay is the site emergency plan....
Emergency Planning Zone
The emergency planning zone is the area around the site where public protection measures are planned in detail in advance....
Enabling works
The next phase of work after shaft isolation is ground enabling - the removal of redundant services and installation of the new services....
End state of site
What condition should the Dounreay site be left in when decommissioning is complete?...
Engineering Apprentices (Mechanical, Electrical, Instrument)
Unit/Department: Dounreay Site Services...
Engineering Apprentices 2010
Dounreay, Caithness...
Engineering Apprentices 2011
Engineering Apprentices ...
Engineering Apprentices 2012
ENGINEERING Apprentices ...
Engineering Sponsorship 2012
Engineering Sponsorship Programme...
Engineering Sponsorship 2012
Engineering Sponsorship Programme Dounreay, Caithness...
Engineering Sponsorship Programme
Location: Dounreay, Caithness ...
Engineering Sponsorship Programme 2010
Location: Dounreay, Caithness...
Engineering Support
JOB SPECIFICATION...
Environment
There are major chemical and radiological hazards at Dounreay which, if not properly contained, could cause serious harm to people and the environment....
Environment baseline
An Environmental and Sustainability Report was published by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority as part of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the NDA Strategy....
Environment monitoring reports
Dounreay Environmental Monitoring...
Environment strategy
Our Safety Health Environment Quality (SHEQ) Policy POL 0019 commits Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd to:...
Environmental Advisor
Environmental Advisor...
Environmental monitoring
In order to comply with the Radioactive Substances Act, DSRL are required to undertake an environmental monitoring programme. The purpose of this programme is to ensure that the local environment is not being harmed by the discharges from Dounreay....
Equal Opportunities
All DSRL employees and eligible job applicants enjoy equal opportunity for employment and advancement on the basis of their ability, qualifications, experience and suitability for the work. DSRL does not discriminate on the grounds of age, sex, race, ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, trade union membership or disability....
Ex-Georgia fuel
In 1998, the US Government removed irradiated and un-irradiated uranium from Georgia for security reasons....
Exotic fuels
This group of fuels can be divided into three categories:...
Exotic fuels
In February 2012, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority published an options paper for the future management of its fuels at Dounreay known as the "exotics"....
Experimental criticality laboratory
For six years, at the height of Britain's expansion into nuclear energy in the 1950s and 60s, the experimental criticality laboratory carried out vital research....
Export
All the breeder material at Dounreay will be "recanned"....
Fact Sheets
Download a series of fact sheets about the transport of nuclear materials....
FAQs
Where did the fuel come from?...
FAQs - nuclear fuel
What is the difference between nuclear fuel and nuclear waste?...
FAQs - Nuclear Fuel
Nuclear Fuel...
Feedback form
...
Fire & Ambulance Service
Dounreay Fire, Ambulance and Rescue Service is a full-time professional unit based at the site....
Freedom of Information
DSRL welcomes interest in its work from members of the public....
Freedom of Information Act - documents
Documents released by DSRL in response to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act:...
Frequently Asked Questions
About Dounreay ...
Frequently Asked Questions
...
Fuel
Dounreay accumulated more than 100 tonnes of nuclear fuel and material when the decision was taken in 1998 to close down and clean up the site....
Fuel Cave Dismantling
The irradiated fuel cave at PFR became operational during the 1970s and is now under going decommissioning activities. ...
Fuel Cycle Area
The Fuel Cycle Area (FCA) is the high security area within the licensed site, housing the facilities that historically handled and stored the site’s nuclear material and waste. Most of the buildings were built during the early construction phase of the site (1955-1959)....
Fuel Cycle Area Laboratories
The main chemical, analytical and metallurgical laboratories which supported the work of the facilities on site were located in the fuel cycle area. ...
Fuel pond
A pond for storing fuel irradiated inside the reactor was part of the construction of the DFR....
Funding
The NDA socio economic policy document sets out three methods by which it will deliver socio economic support to communities affected by nuclear decommissioning:...
Gaseous
Radioactive waste is generated wherever nuclear materials exist. It can contaminate other materials, effluents and airflows....
General Safety
Abrasive Wheels Safety...
Geology
Dounreay is underlain by rocks of the Caithness flagstone formation. These are dominantly grey siltstones with minor sandstones and limestones. The rocks are indurated with very low porosity....
Graduate Engineers
GRADUATE ENGINEERS ...
Guidance on expressing an interest
...
Habitat
Woodland...
Health & Safety
Working safely is integral to the successful delivery of the site closure programme....
Health Physics Support
JOB SPECIFICATION...
Health risks
Particles vary in size and radioactivity. As a rule of thumb, the smallest particles are the least radioactive and therefore least hazardous, while the largest particles are the most radioactive and therefore most hazardous....
Heritage
Dounreay Heritage Project...
Heritage Collections
Dounreay's visitor centre, located within the old aerodrome control tower, was demolished in 2007 due to structural problems following water damage. At the same time, the NDA and the UK Atomic Energy Authority gave a substantial financial contribution towards the design and construction of the Caithness Horizons museum located in Thurso's old town hall. ...
Heritage News
2010 2009 2008...
Heritage Project
Since the early days of construction in 1955 right through to the present, Dounreay has had a dominant impact on the economic and social development of the region. The NDA and DSRL, in partnership with Historic Scotland and heritage professionals Atkins Heritage, have worked together to establish a way forward for creating a lasting cultural legacy of the site, by means of a strategy document....
Higher activity waste
This type of waste emits levels of radiation that can be a significant health hazard. These can be contained safely through the use of thick shielding to block the radiation or, for other types, by keeping it in sealed containers to prevent inhalation or ingestion....
Historic
The removal of nuclear material from Dounreay during its demolition signals the beginning of the end of nuclear transports in the Highlands....
Historic disposal
In the early days of the nuclear industry, there was little public scrutiny or interest shown in what happened to radioactive waste, with the focus very firmly on the development of nuclear reactors....
History
1954-1994 – The Dounreay Experiment...
Housing
A major programme of house-building occurred during the early construction and operation of Dounreay in the 1950s and early 1960s....
How DSRL assesses expressions of interest
...
How to Apply
To apply for a position advertised on our current job vacancies page, you will need to complete an application form. There are two options for doing this:...
How to express an interest
...
How to find us
Training at Naver...
How we will do it
Radioactive contamination will be reduced to a level which meets the criteria for delicensing the site. This is based on “no danger”, as established by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965....
Human Factors Specialist
Human Factors Specialist...
Hydraulic isolation
The water level in the shaft is maintained below sea level by daily pumping of water. This reduces the amount of water that can flow through the shaft and contaminate the rock on the seaward side....
Impact on the economy
How many people are employed at Dounreay?...
In-House Solutions
If you cannot come to us, we can come to you with a range of in-house solutions....
Information Charter
If we need to handle personal information about you in order to provide a service, this is how we look after that information....
Information for visitors
The site is closed to members of the public for safety and security reasons while it is decommissioned. ...
Infrastructure
Decommissioning the infrastructure that supported the fast reactor experiment is just as important as decommissioning the reactors themselves. In this section you will find more information about these projects....
Inner breeder
All the material in the inner breeder zone, apart from two distorted elements, was removed when the reactor shut down in 1977....
Interim Senior Project Accountant
JOB SPECIFICATION...
International Nuclear Event Scale
The INES is a means for promptly communicating to the public in consistent terms the safety significance of events reported at nuclear installations. By putting events into proper perspective, the scale can ease common understanding among the nuclear community, the public and media....
IT
Excel - Foundation...
IT Intranet Manager
IT Intranet Manager ...
Jobs and Spending
How many people are employed at Dounreay?...
July 2011 Courses
July Open/'Public' Courses (Naver Business Centre, THURSO)...
July 2011 Training Courses
July Courses – held at Dounreay (ie, only available to Site pass holders)...
Laboratory Analyst
JOB SPECIFICATION...
Laboratory Analyst
JOB SPECIFICATION...
Land
In August 2009, Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd carried out a survey of fields adjacent to the site that are earmarked for development as a low-level waste disposal facility....
Landfill 42
Dounreay developed and operated its own landfill for the disposal of waste from building works....
Landfill 42
...
Leadership & Management
Coaching Skills...
Leaflet
In September 2011, Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd produced a leaflet to explain how different types of materials will be managed as part of the site closure....
Legal
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd...
Licence
The safety of nuclear installations in the UK is assured by a system of regulatory control based on a licensing process by which a corporate body is granted a licence to use a site for specified activities....
Lifetime Plan
All of the work needed to dismantle Dounreay is contained in a long-range programme called the Lifetime Plan. This sets out the scope of work, the schedule and its cost. It also identifies the manpower needed to see the clean-up through to completion....
Links
Babcock Dounreay Partnership...
Liquid
Radioactive waste is generated wherever nuclear materials exist. It can contaminate other materials, effluents and airflows....
LLW historic disposal
The design of Dounreay in the 1950s took account of the need to dispose of solid items of “lower activity” waste....
LLW national policy
Updated national policy for the management low-level radioactive waste in Scotland was published in March 2007....
Local economy
In 2007, the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership (CNSRP) was formed between the four key public sector organisations:...
Local Information
Caithness.org is an award winning community website which provides a variety of information for residents and visitors alike....
Low Active Drain
Dounreay’s low active drain is being refurbished to ensure that it is fit for purpose for the next sixteen years....
Low level waste
Solid low level radioactive waste is generated wherever nuclear materials are handled - from hospitals, laboratories and industry as well as the nuclear fuel cycle....
Low level waste BPEO
Consultation on the options for managing low-level radioactive waste from the decommissioning of Dounreay and Vulcan took place in 2003....
Lyreco
Details for Lyreco...
Mainsaver Adminstration Support
JOB SPECIFICATION...
Management
Roger Hardy – Managing Director...
Management Accountant
JOB DESCRIPTION...
Marine
This page is under construction...
Mechanical Fitters
MECHANICAL FITTERS...
Media
The media is an important part of the arrangements for communicating information during an emergency....
Melvich
The beach at Melvich is located approximately 10 kilometres west of Dounreay. It is the next beach after Sandside to the west of Dounreay....
Minor works
...
Minutes and bodies
A number of organisations have an interest in the particles issue and meetings with key organisations are held on a regular basis. Dounreay is accountable to a number of these organisations....
Monitoring
Dounreay Environmental Monitoring...
Murkle
The beach at Murkle is located approximately 18 kilometres east of Dounreay....
NaK residues
The bulk of the liquid metal in the primary circuit will be transferred from the primary circuit and destroyed in the NaK disposal plant. But before the circuitry itself can be dismantled, the residues still inside the system need to be made safe....
National policy
A key task at Dounreay is to get all the radioactive waste into a condition that makes it safe for long-term storage or disposal by 2022-2025....
Natural
The natural environment of Dounreay can be divided into a number of spheres:...
NDA activity
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has a duty to take account of the social and economic impact of closing down its sites like Dounreay....
NEC Z clauses incorporating NDA flowdowns
Applicable to DSRL....
New Construction Design Project
JOB DESCRIPTION...
New LLW Disposal - Environmental Statement Addendum Volume 2 Figures
Figure 1.1 Site Plan Revised...
New Low Level Waste Facilities
A new disposal facility is needed for low-level waste from the decommissioning of Dounreay and Vulcan....
New treatment plant
Intermediate-level waste exists at Dounreay in the form of solid items, liquids and sludges....
News Room
For the latest stories relating to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority you can access a live news feed showing recent external news coverage....
Non-radioactive waste
Waste is the product of decommissioning....
Nuclear Fuel
Dounreay’s purpose was to research and develop more efficient ways to generate electricity from uranium and plutonium...
Occupational health
The occupational health department provides a range of services to support workers during the decommissioning of the site....
Off-site
...
Oil tank farm
The tank farm that provides oil for heating the site was dismantled in 2005 to make way for the construction of a new intermediate-level waste treatment plant. A new set of tanks was installed on vacant land elsewhere....
OJEU
Official Journal of the European Union...
Open
Consultations that are open will be listed in the menu on the left of the page....
Operation Seanuts
Extracted from A History of the Management of Environmental Protection at Dounreay by GR Tyler, June 1998...
Ordering and invoicing arrangements
...
Origins
Dounreay was built in the 1950s to support the UK's development of nuclear power. Its design included chemical plants that could recycle used nuclear fuel by undergoing a process of disassembly and chemical separation known as reprocessing. This allowed valuable uranium and plutonium to be recycled as new fuel....
Origins of the shaft
A vertical shaft was sunk at Dounreay in the 1950s to build a tunnel for the discharge of radioactive effluent from the various research and industrial facilities then under construction....
Other
Other transports of radioactive material needed to close down the site include:...
Other mammals
Fox is common in the area and sightings have been made of a family along the cliffs to the north-east of the Dounreay site....
Otters
There have been numerous sightings of the elusive Eurasian Otter, Lutra lutra....
Outer breeder
There are 977 elements still positioned vertically around the reactor core....
Overseas fuel
Part of the site at Dounreay was devoted to the supply and recycling of specialist nuclear fuel....
Parent body
Since April 1, 2012, Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Babcock Dounreay Partnership....
Particle Clean-up
An important part of the work to close down Dounreay is to address a legacy of radioactive particles in the marine environment around the site....
Particle clean-up
An important part of the work to close down Dounreay is to address its legacy of radioactive particles found in the marine environment around the site....
Particles
What are particles?...
Particles and beaches
What are particles?...
Particles BPEO
Status - complete...
Particles recovered
DSRL is committed to keeping the public informed about the detection and retrieval of particles in the environment around Dounreay....
Partnering Charter
This charter sets out the principles that NDA, Babcock Dounreay Partnership and Dounreay Site Restoration will adopt in working together to deliver the vision of:...
Peedie, Dunnet
The Peedie beach at Dunnet Bay is located approximately 23 kilometres east of Dounreay....
Performance reports
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd routinely reports its performance to the local community....
Personal Skills Development
Chairing Effective Meetings...
PFR History
Click here to access PFR History...
PFR raffinate
Status - complete...
Photography
Photography in and around the Dounreay site is subject to security controls....
Plutonium criticality cell - D8550
The plutonium criticality laboratory, code-named D8550, was built in the 1950s to carry out criticality experiments on plutonium-bearing materials as D1249 had insufficient shielding for the work....
Prequalification
If you wish to prequalify for a contract opportunity with DSRL please contact the contracts officer responsible for managing the Contractor selection process to request a copy of our Prequalification Questionnaires (PQQ)....
Primary coolant
Liquid metal was used in fast reactors to transfer the heat from the nuclear reaction in the core to the steam-generating plant where electricity was produced. The metal flowed between the core and the steam-generating plant through circuits linked by heat exchangers....
Primula Scotica
The Scottish Primrose, Primula Scotica, is found only in the islands of Orkney and the northern area of Caithness and Sutherland....
Privacy
Your privacy is very important to us. We recognise that when you choose to provide us with information about yourself you trust us to act in a responsible manner. We believe this information should only be used to help us provide you with better service. That's why we have put a policy in place to protect your personal information. We encourage you to take the time to read this privacy policy and those of any web site you visit....
Procurement plans
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd publishes a rolling procurement plan which allows the supply chain to see potential forthcoming opportunities....
Progress reports
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd is committed to implementing the clean-up in a way that is transparent and acceptable. One of the ways we do this is by reporting regularly to Dounreay Stakeholder Group, a forum for community representatives to scrutinise and respond to issues arising from the site closure programme....
Project Engineer
TYPICAL JOB DESCRIPTION – PROJECT ENGINEER...
Project Management
Admin Support for Projects and Project Managers...
Projects
This section features some of the specific projects being carried out to restore or enhance the natural environment in and around Dounreay....
Prototype Fast Reactor
Dounreay's Prototype Fast Reactor (PFR) was the second and last fast reactor to be built in the UK. The success of the experimental fast reactor at Dounreay led the British government in 1966 to order a prototype fast reactor power plant....
Public information
In the event of an emergency at Dounreay, the police will inform the public about what is happening and any precautions that may be necessary....
Publications
Published books about Dounreay:...
Radiation and health
Links to sources of information about radioactivity and its effects on health....
Radiation Measurement and Metrology Engineer
Radiation Measurement & Metrology Engineer...
Radioactive Waste
What is radioactive waste?...
Radioactive waste
Radioactive waste is generated wherever nuclear materials such as plutonium, uranium and thorium are handled....
Radioactive waste
The UK Atomic Energy Authority entered contracts with overseas research reactor operators in the late 1980s and 1990s to recycle their nuclear fuel at Dounreay....
Radioactivity and radiation explained
Our radioactive world...
Radiological
Basic Radiological Induction...
Radiological PPE & Health Physics Support
...
Radiological protection
Although everyone receives background radiation, not many people encounter man-made radioactive substances in the normal course of their work. Those who do - medical and research workers, for instance - have to learn how to handle these materials without risking either their own safety or that of other people....
RADSAFE
Hazardous cargo is moved routinely across the UK every day....
Raffinate
Reactors do not extract all the energy contained in nuclear fuel elements. Most it remains unused. This unused portion of the fuel element can be recycled through a process of chemical separation known as reprocessing. This separates the unused fuel from that which is “spent” and no longer has any use....
Rail
Transport of nuclear fuel between power plants and the UK reprocessing works at Sellafield is carried out by Direct Rail Services, or DRS....
Reactor Dismantling
The reactor is to be dismantled by removing the vessel contents from the vault, thereby minimising the associated hazard and allowing final clearance of the site....
Receptionist (Part-Time)
RECEPTIONIST (Part-Time)...
Recycling
Page under construction...
Regulator
...
Regulator - nuclear safety
DSRL is required to comply with nuclear safety legislation in the UK....
Research
Over £10 million was spent on particles research, monitoring and recovery programmes, enabling the site to begin the clean-up operation. Here you can find details of the research areas....
Research reactor fuel fabrication plant
The fuel fabrication plant was the first of the "atomic factories" built at Dounreay in the 1950s to become operational, and played a crucial part in the United Kingdom’s fast reactor research programme....
Research reactor fuel reprocessing plant
High enriched uranium (HEU) was a scarce commodity in the 1950s, and so spent fuel from the research reactors was recycled to recover the uranium for re-use....
Resilience and other links
...
Response to Fukushima
In March 2011, the nuclear power plant at Fukushima in Japan was overwhelmed by a natural disaster....
RIFE reports
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency works with the Environment Agency, Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the Food Standards Agency on the radiological monitoring of food and the environment, and publishes the results....
Safety
There are thousands of movements of radioactive material every day. Worldwide, it's estimated there are 10 million a year. The nuclear industry accounts for about 5 per cent....
Safety and Environment
There are major chemical and radiological hazards at Dounreay which, if not properly contained and managed, could cause serious harm to people and the environment....
Safety Case Engineer
SAFETY CASE ENGINEER...
Safety Case Engineer
TYPICAL JOB DESCRIPTION – SAFETY CASE ENGINEER...
Safety Management
ATO (Authority to Operate) Holder...
Safety reps
Safety representatives play an important role in promoting and monitoring safe working practices throughout the nuclear industry....
Sandside
Sandside Bay at Reay is the nearest beach to the site used by members of the public. It is located approximately three kilometres west of Dounreay....
Scrabster
The beach at Scrabster is located approximately 12 kilometres to the east of Dounreay....
Sea
The sea transport of nuclear materials is carried out in the UK by International Nuclear Services, or INS, a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority....
Seabed
The largest and most hazardous fragments are believed to be located close to the old discharge outlet on the seabed. Natural disturbance of the sediment and corrosion over time is believed to cause their fragmentation, creating smaller, lighter and less hazardous particles that are mobilised like grains of sand by the complex tidal movements and carried further afield to places such as Sandside beach....
Search Results
...
Security
The nature of the materials and hazards at Dounreay mean that the security of the site is a vitally important part of the decommissioning process....
Security
Protection of nuclear materials from theft and sabotage is of national and international importance....
Security exercises
Security at Dounreay is regulated by the Office for Civil Nuclear Security. The site is required to carry out an annual counter-terrorism exercise to demonstrate compliance with the requirements with the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003....
Senior Electrical Project Engineer
JOB DESCRIPTION...
Shaft and Silo
A vertical shaft was built at Dounreay in the 1950s to remove rock spoil during excavation of a subsea tunnel for the site's effluent discharge pipes. In 1958, it was authorised by the Government as a disposal facility for what today is known as intermediate-level waste....
SHEQ Policy
SAFTEY, HEALTH ENVIRONMENT AND QUALITY POLICY...
SHEQ Policy
SAFTEY, HEALTH ENVIRONMENT AND QUALITY POLICY...
Site Closure
Our objective in decommissioning Dounreay is to close down the site and leave it in a safe condition for future generations....
Site end state
Status - complete....
Site End State
What condition should the Dounreay site be left in when decommissioning is complete?...
Site Map
...
Site Restoration
...
Site Services/Laboratory Services
JOB SPECIFICATION...
Site Stakeholder Group
Dounreay Stakeholder Group is a forum for community leaders to scrutinise the site's performance, to engage with the industry and its regulators and reflect the views of the local population....
Socio Economics
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is spending up to £150 million a year to close down the Dounreay site....
Socio-economics
Socio-economic procurement approach at DSRL...
Sodium Coolant
Fifteen hundred tonnes of sodium liquid metal was used in the PFR to transfer heat from the nuclear reaction in the core to the steam-generating plant where electricity was produced. This sodium coolant flowed between the core and the steam-generating plant through circuits linked by heat exchangers....
Sodium Residue
PFR circuitry and other equipment, such as the reactor vessel and gas circuits, dump tanks, and other circuitry, are coated in sodium. This hazard needs to be dealt with before these items can be removed. ...
Software Engineer
SOFTWARE ENGINEER...
Solvents and oils
Status - complete...
Specialist Plant
Agricultural Tractor...
Standard Purchase Order conditions
Conditions of contracts for goods and services...
Status updates
...
Storage today
Intermediate-level waste exists at Dounreay today in solid, liquid and sludge forms....
Strategy and plan
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority socio economic policy provides the basis for all socio economic activity at NDA sites....
Subscribe to news@dounreay.com
Would you like to be updated regularly about news and publications posted on-line at the website of Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd?...
Subsea pipeline and diffuser
The construction of Dounreay in the 1950s included a system for discharging low-level radioactive effluent to the sea....
Substitution
During the late 1980s and 1990s, the UK Atomic Energy Authority reprocessed fuel at Dounreay from reactors in Belgium, Denmark (for fuel of Italian origin), Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, France and Australia....
Supplier complaints procedure
...
Suppliers
Welcome to the suppliers area of the DSRL website which includes contract opportunities, instructions on how to express interest and information on our procurement strategy....
Supply Chain Charter
DSRL has signed up to the NDA's Supply Chain Charter for Nuclear Decommissioning Sites....
Technical Training
Alkali Metal Handling...
The retrieval plant
One of the biggest projects in the Dounreay clean-up is the retrieval from the shaft and silo of historic wastes....
The silo
As the shaft filled up with intermediate-level waste, those in charge of the fast reactor experiment in the mid-1960s realised a second facility would be needed. In 1971, a new facility came into service – the ILW silo....
The Site
Welcome to Dounreay, the UK’s centre of fast reactor research and development from 1955 until 1994 and now Scotland’s largest nuclear clean-up and demolition project....
The Site Licence Company
Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) is the site licence company responsible for the closure programme at Britain's former centre of fast reactor research and development....
The sphere
Unlike modern reactors that are situated in bedrock, the 60MW system of the Dounreay Fast Reactor was installed above ground....
Thurso
The beach at Thurso is located approximately 13 kilometres to the east of Dounreay....
Timeline
...
Topic of the Month / News
page under construction...
Trainee Laboratory Analyst
Trainee Laboratory Analyst x 2...
Training at Naver
Welcome to Training at Naver...
Training Courses
Our Portfolio of Courses...
Transport
Radioactive materials are transported routinely every day around the world....
Transport emergency
There has never been an accident involving radioactive material in transit to or from Dounreay that has a resulted in a release of radioactivity....
Types and units
Types of radiation...
Uranic materials
Uranic material held at Dounreay includes highly enriched uranium and unirradiated low-enriched, natural or depleted uranium contained in both bulk material and contaminated residues....
Uranics
Uranics are uranium containing, non-fuel based materials which have been produced as a result of fuel cycle operations, including depleted and natural uranium....
Uranium criticality cells - D1249
Construction of the experimental criticality laboratory started in February 1956. Initially, it consisted of a single test cell housing one assembly, controlled from a room at the edge of a 90-metre radius exclusion zone....
Uranium oxide particles
Uranium oxide particles...
Uranium Recovery Plant
The uranium recovery plant was an integral part of the chemical processing of nuclear materials that took place in the Fuel Cycle Area until 1998....
Venue/Conference Facilities & Catering Options
Room Hire...
Viewfirth
An imposing Victorian mansion on high ground in Thurso, Viewfirth was a former schoolmaster’s home that was acquired by the UK Atomic Energy Authority as part of the development of Dounreay in the 1950s....
Visitor centre
The land acquired by the Ministry of Works for the UK Atomic Energy Authority in the mid-1950s included a disused air traffic control tower overlooking the proposed nuclear site....
Visitors book
...
Waste
Waste is the product of decommissioning....
Waste disposal
In July 1958, the Scottish Office issued authorisation for the disposal of radioactive wastes to the shaft for a period of one year....
Waste options review
Dounreay reviewed its disposal routes for all wastes to establish if its practices continued to represent the best practicable environmental options....
Waste shaft
Status - complete...
Water
The Burn of Isauld flows into Sandside Bay about 4km to the west of Dounreay and the River Forss flows into Crosskirk Bay 4km to the east....
Who are we?
The Training at Naver Team aim to provide a high standard of training and customer service...
Workforce
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) employs just over 800 people, with a similar number in the supply chain. The DSRL workforce has a wide range of skills, from project management and environmental science to health physics, safety case writing and technical skills in operations and maintenance....
WRACS plant
All solid low-level waste generated at Dounreay is sent to the Waste Receipt Assay Characterisation and Supercompaction facility, or WRACS....
532 news items
Emergency exercise takes place today
23 May 2012
There will be an exercise at Dounreay today to test the site's emergency arrangements.
Dounreay lets £4.3m contract for waste disposal plant
22 May 2012
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has awarded a £4.3 million contract to design and build a plant for the disposal of low-level radioactive waste from the clean-up and demolition of the site.
Site alert to be tested today
21 May 2012
Dounreay's site alert will be tested at 5pm today as part of ongoing efforts to fix a suspected electrical fault in the system.
Fault with Dounreay site alert system
19 May 2012
At 0735hrs this morning, Saturday May 19th, the Dounreay site alert activated for a period of 20 - 30 seconds.
NDA sees savings in integrated waste approach
14 May 2012
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority believes the cost of managing radioactive waste from its sites could be reduced by billions of pounds through a more strategic approach.
New team shares shutdown plan with supply chain
14 May 2012
Dounreay’s new executive team outlined its approach to site closure at a briefing session for contractors and sub-contractors.
Liquid metal destruction featured in Dounreay newspaper
04 May 2012
Dounreay’s site newspaper this month focuses on the destruction of the site’s hazardous liquid metal legacy.
Latest performance figures reported for Dounreay
03 May 2012
The latest edition of Dounreay's monthly performance report has been published.
Clean-up set to resume offshore
01 May 2012
Work to clean up and close down the redundant nuclear site at Dounreay moves offshore again this month.
Dounreay cuts electricity use by 3 per cent
19 April 2012
Dounreay reduced its electricity consumption by almost three per cent last year but still used up enough energy during its decommissioning to supply a small town of 8000 people.
Dounreay announces destruction of major hazard
06 April 2012
Dounreay today completed the destruction of one of the most hazardous legacies of Britain’s earliest atomic research.
Latest performance figures reported for February 2012
05 April 2012
The latest edition of Dounreay's monthly performance report has been published.
Handover to Dounreay's new clean-up team in April site newspaper
03 April 2012
Dounreay’s site newspaper this month focuses on the handover to the site’s new clean-up team who have won the largest site closure contract ever let in the UK.
Gone by 2025 - new clean-up team sets out vision for site closure
02 April 2012
Senior figures from government and industry are gathering at Dounreay today to hear the site’s new clean-up team set out their vision to accelerate the demolition of Britain’s second largest civil nuclear site.
NDA business plan sets out goals for Dounreay clean-up
02 April 2012
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority today publishes its business plan for 2012/13, setting out key clean-up goals for sites such as Dounreay to achieve.
Babcock consortium acquires site licence company
01 April 2012
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd is under new ownership from today.
Award recognises high safety standards at Dounreay
28 March 2012
The British Safety Council has named Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd among its list of International Safety Awards for 2012.
Another gap appears in Fuel Cycle Area
27 March 2012
Another gap has opened up in the skyline of Dounreay with the demolition of the latest redundant facility.
Work begins on railhead to support site closure
20 March 2012
Construction work is underway on a new railhead to support the closure of the redundant nuclear site at Dounreay.
Scottish Government rules on waste substitution
16 March 2012
Scottish Government today announced the outcome of consultation on the return of radioactive waste to countries that sent their nuclear fuel to Dounreay in the 1990s for reprocessing.
Dounreay fuels - closing date for comments is March 23
16 March 2012
March 23 is the closing date for the submission of views to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority about options for managing its stock of nuclear fuel at Dounreay.
Civil Nuclear Constabulary training exercise
14 March 2012
The Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) will be holding a training exercise at Dounreay on the evening of Wednesday, March 14, that will include both DSRL and Northern Constabulary staff.
New police firearms range is planned
08 March 2012
Members of the public are being invited to find out more about a new police firearms training facility for Civil Nuclear Constabulary officers stationed at Dounreay.
Demolitions feature in latest issue of site newspaper
05 March 2012
Dounreay is changing shape as two more buildings in the fuel cycle area are demolished.
Dounreay's latest performance figures published for January 2012
02 March 2012
The latest edition of Dounreay's monthly performance report has been published.
Blasting to begin at waste disposal site
24 February 2012
DSRL is informing staff and neighbours that blasting operations at the site of a new waste disposal facility will start during the afternoon of Thursday, March 1.
Dismantled pipe activates smoke alarm
21 February 2012
The site’s fire brigade was called out shortly before 6am this morning when a smoke alarm activated in the Prototype Fast Reactor complex.
More of Dounreay turned into rubble
21 February 2012
More of Dounreay is disappearing in a pile of rubble.
DSRL informs SEPA of potentially significant particle find
20 February 2012
Dounreay clean-up contractor DSRL has informed the Scottish Environment Protection Agency of additional tests being carried out on a particle recovered during routine monitoring of a beach near the redundant nuclear site.
Dounreay backs science campaign in schools
16 February 2012
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has agreed a three-year funding package to support the promotion of science and engineering in local schools.
DFR clean-up's a dirty job
14 February 2012
The decommissioning teams taking apart Dounreay’s famous dome are reducing the hazard every minute of every day.
NDA examines options for Dounreay 'exotic' fuels
07 February 2012
The future of the remaining ‘exotic’ fuels and nuclear materials at Dounreay is being considered by the NDA who have today published a paper outlining two options for the material.
NDA invites bursary applications
02 February 2012
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which owns Dounreay and funds its site closure programme, is offering a bursary up to £500,000 to encourage university research projects that can contribute to its clean-up mission.
Apprentice activities in the spotlight in site newspaper
01 February 2012
Dounreay’s apprentices had a busy year in 2011, and their activities are featured in the February issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, now available online.
Public consultation for new Dounreay waste disposal facility
31 January 2012
SEPA has announced its intention to hold a public consultation on the proposed solid low level radioactive waste disposal facility at Dounreay.
Latest performance figures reported for December 2011
27 January 2012
The latest edition of Dounreay's monthly performance report has been published.
Shoe contamination detected
26 January 2012
Traces of contamination were found on the shoes of a number of operators who were preparing a building for demolition.
Demolition team moves into D1200
11 January 2012
A demolition team has moved in to begin dismantling another part of the former Fuel Cycle Area at Dounreay.
Major hazard reduces to final few batches
10 January 2012
Dounreay is within touching distance of completing one of Britain’s most important nuclear clean-up tasks.
NDA examines options for higher activity waste
23 December 2011
A new report examines how the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority can better integrate the management of higher activity waste from the clean-up of its sites in the UK, including Dounreay.
Hazard reduction continues over holiday period
23 December 2011
Work to reduce the major chemical and radiological hazards will continue around the clock at Dounreay over the holiday period.
Electrical fault suspected in overnight smoke alert
17 December 2011
An electrical fault is believed to be the cause of an overnight alert within the Prototype Fast Reactor complex at Dounreay.
Dounreay reactor achieves seven years of safety
15 December 2011
The team cleaning up the prototype fast reactor (PFR) have notched up seven years of safety.
Latest performance figures published for November
14 December 2011
The latest edition of Dounreay's monthly performance report has been published.
NDA issues draft business plan for 2012/13
13 December 2011
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has published its draft 2012/13 business plan for consultation.
Demolition work returns to normal
09 December 2011
Decommissioning work is returning to normal after severe weather caused disruption yesterday and overnight.
Severe weather warning
08 December 2011
There is a severe weather warning in place for northern Scotland, with snow and strong winds gusting to 100mph forecast.
Bumper Christmas issue of site newspaper published
06 December 2011
The official turf cutting ceremony for the new low level waste facility features on the front cover of the December issue of Dounreay News, now available online.
Helping companies access the clean-up market
02 December 2011
Dounreay site closure contractor DSRL is working with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to help more small and medium size companies access the clean-up market.
Latest performance figures published for October
01 December 2011
The latest edition of Dounreay's monthly performance report has been published.
Aviation industry unites with nuclear clean-up on safety
29 November 2011
Workers taking apart one of Britain’s most hazardous installations are swapping their knowledge of safety with workers putting together parts for the world’s most modern airliners.
Repairs underway after 80mph winds
29 November 2011
Clean-up teams are repairing minor damage to property at the site after storm-force winds swept Dounreay at the weekend.
PM's praise for Dounreay workforce
28 November 2011
Prime Minister David Cameron has praised workers at Dounreay for going beyond the call of duty to protect themselves and the environment from harm.
Work begins to bury Dounreay experiment
25 November 2011
Work is underway to bury the radioactive remains of Britain’s experiment with fast reactors at Dounreay.
Demolition brings £4m windfall for local community
25 November 2011
Dounreay’s demolition today yields a £1 million windfall for the north Highlands.
Babcock Dounreay Partnership is preferred bidder for DSRL
23 November 2011
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority today named Babcock Dounreay Partnership as its preferred bidder to acquire Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd.
NDA to begin returning fuel to UK stocks
21 November 2011
Almost half the stock of nuclear fuel left over at Dounreay from its research role in the last century is to begin leaving the site next summer.
DSRL suspends haulier
18 November 2011
DSRL suspended a haulage company from its list of approved contractors following the arrest of one of its drivers for driving while banned.
Safety record reaches new high
17 November 2011
Workers knocking down one of Britain's most hazardous industrial sites today clocked up 5 million consecutive man-hours without a lost-time accident.
Transport exercise to take place
17 November 2011
An exercise to test the response of the emergency services to a simulated accident during the transport of radioactive material will take place adjacent to Dounreay on the afternoon of Sunday, November 20.
Robot power will take apart Dounreay’s dome
15 November 2011
Like something out of the Tom Cruise movie War of the Worlds, the Kuka robot has a very important job to do.
Another chance to tell us what you think
15 November 2011
We're grateful to everyone who looks at our website and takes an interest in what is happening at Dounreay.
Dounreay worker survey boosts Poppy Appeal
11 November 2011
Dounreay workers have helped swell the Poppy Appeal fund by £1,000 by answering questions about their futures.
Siren to sound for Armistice Day
10 November 2011
Dounreay's site alert will be sounded at 11am on Friday, November 11 for workers who wish to observe Armistice Day.
Leak proves the value of award-winning safety standards
09 November 2011
The British Safety Council has named Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd one of the country’s top companies for its standards of environmental management.
Latest performance figures published for September
08 November 2011
The latest edition of Dounreay's monthly performance report has been published.
A million reasons to celebrate in November's site newspaper
07 November 2011
There are a million reasons to celebrate in the November issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, now available online.
Dounreay passes the test for nuclear training standards
04 November 2011
Dounreay’s in-housing training service has itself gained a new qualification – and praise from the UK Government Minister in charge of building up Britain’s nuclear skills base.
Site issues quarterly report
03 November 2011
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd's quarterly report to the site stakeholder group is published on-line today.
Dounreay invites tenders for grout plant
01 November 2011
An invitation to tender for the design and construction of a plant to grout low-level radioactive waste at Dounreay was issued to seven companies today, following a selection process that began in July.
NHS looks to nuclear industry for safety lessons
27 October 2011
NHS bosses are looking at Dounreay’s improving safety record to see what lessons can be learned to make hospitals safer for patients.
Dounreay passes milestone in worker safety
26 October 2011
So far this year the Dounreay site has had over eleven thousand individual entries by workers wearing full protective gear and entering highly radioactive and hazardous areas.
Nuclear clean-up boost for Highland economy
25 October 2011
A new community body launched in the north Highlands signals another step towards the closure of the former nuclear research site at Dounreay.
Dounreay wins prestigious safety award for second time
21 October 2011
Dounreay’s clean-up contractor has won the ‘Sword of Honour’ international safety award from the British Safety Council for the second time.
Radiation around Dounreay well below safe limit, says report
21 October 2011
The levels of radioactivity in the environment and food in the vicinity of Dounreay are well within safe limits, according to the results of independent monitoring published today.
Dounreay to attend first ever industry supply chain event
10 October 2011
DSRL staff are to play a key part in a major forthcoming nuclear decommissioning supply chain event.
'Decommissioning Dounreay' supplement published
10 October 2011
North of Scotland Newspapers have published their annual supplement focusing on the decommissioning work being carried out at Dounreay.
Minor leak from pipework at reactor
08 October 2011
During routine operation of the plant destroying the liquid metal coolant in the Dounreay Fast Reactor (DFR), drips of caustic liquor from pipework in a shielded cell were detected by the monitoring systems. The plant was immediately shut down and the leak isolated and stopped. There was no release of radioactivity to the environment and no harm to the workers.
Dounreay's graduate apprentices in October issue of site newspaper
06 October 2011
Dounreay apprentices’ graduation ceremony is featured in the October issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, now available online.
Workers get a glimpse of life after Dounreay
05 October 2011
Workers shutting down Scotland's biggest nuclear site are getting a chance to learn more about new industry that could provide them with jobs in the future.
Supporting smaller businesses in nuclear clean-up
05 October 2011
A collaborative drive is under way to shape proposals for increasing the access of smaller businesses to the £1.36 billion spent each year with the supply chain across the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority estate.
Dounreay shares its royal connections
04 October 2011
The prestigious Dounreay royal visits album is being shared with the local community with individual copies being presented to the Castle of Mey and Caithness Horizons.
Dounreay's environment showcased on The One Show
04 October 2011
Dounreay is to feature in a TV programme this evening looking at the environment of a nuclear site.
Dounreay helps TV programme go with a Bang
03 October 2011
Dounreay is to feature in a TV programme exploring aspects of the nuclear industry.
Reprieve for thousands of shellfish
30 September 2011
Changes to the rules for the testing of seafood near Dounreay will reduce the number of crustacea that are caught and disposed of unnecessarily.
Vibration trials to take place at Dounreay
21 September 2011
DSRL will be carrying out vibration trials at Dounreay tomorrow, Thursday September 22, at 1pm.
Dounreay sets out what will stay and what will go
15 September 2011
Dounreay’s decommissioning contractor today sets out what will happen to an estimated 300,000 tonnes of radioactive material from the clean-out and closure of the former nuclear research site.
Dounreay’s thriving wildlife featured in September issue of site newspaper
06 September 2011
The September issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online.
Apprentices encouraged to seize future Caithness investment prospects
30 August 2011
The latest batch of Dounreay’s newly qualified skilled workers were encouraged to make the most of the exciting opportunities and challenges ahead.
NDA issues guidance on storage of higher activity waste
30 August 2011
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has issued national guidance about the storage of higher activity wastes at its sites, including Dounreay.
Sharing nuclear technology across the UK
24 August 2011
A Dounreay health physicist recently completed a trip to the Magnox Bradwell nuclear power station in Essex.
Bee romance gets Dounreay workers buzzing
23 August 2011
DSRL environmental advisors have captured a rare sight on film.
Transport exercise is postponed
22 August 2011
An exercise to test the response of the emergency services to a simulated accident during the transport of radioactive material has been postponed for operational reasons.
June performance report issued
10 August 2011
The latest edition of Dounreay's monthly performance report has been published.
Opening up the nuclear market for companies
04 August 2011
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd is working with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Scotland's enterprise network to make it easier for companies to win work in the nuclear marketplace.
Young engineers featured in August issue of site newspaper
03 August 2011
The August issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online.
Dounreay alerts market to grout plant contract
29 July 2011
A notice published today in the Official Journal of the European Union seeks expressions of interest from companies capable of building a plant to grout low-level radioactive waste prior to its disposal at Dounreay.
DSRL wins prestigious safety and environment awards
28 July 2011
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) has won two important awards from one of the world’s foremost health and safety organisations.
BBC probes the nature of Dounreay
26 July 2011
What is the environment of a nuclear site like?
Site reports clean-up progress to community reps
20 July 2011
Dounreay clean-up contractor DSRL today reported to the local community on its performance during the first quarter of 2011/12.
£20m 'Swiss army knife' will harvest nuclear material
19 July 2011
It’s been dubbed the most sophisticated Swiss army knife ever built.
Major hazard shrinks 20 million becquerels a second
11 July 2011
“Significant progress” has been made to destroy one of the most hazardous legacies of Britain’s nuclear research programme from the 20th century, according to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
'Compelling' case to move breeder to Sellafield - NDA
08 July 2011
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority today published a report setting out credible options for managing the breeder material from the Dounreay Fast Reactor.
Dounreay pledges £700,000 to help economy adjust
08 July 2011
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has allocated almost £700,000 this year for projects to help the economy of Caithness and North Sutherland adjust to site closure.
July's Dounreay News now on-line
07 July 2011
July's Dounreay News is now available to read on-line.
Underwater search yields another 351 particles
06 July 2011
A nine-week operation has recovered more than 350 particles of irradiated nuclear fuel from the seabed near Dounreay.
Safety record passes 12-month milestone
06 July 2011
It is now more than a year since anyone decommissioning the nuclear site at Dounreay suffered an injury that kept them off work for more than three days.
New flask signals reactor clean-up progress
05 July 2011
Vital testing equipment to be used for the removal of the highly hazardous material from within the Dounreay Fast Reactor has been delivered, marking further progress for the shutdown of the site.
Bang Goes the Theory at Dounreay
30 June 2011
How radioactive waste is dealt with at Dounreay is set to feature in a prime-time TV programme about radiation and nuclear energy.
Dounreay to exercise emergency response
28 June 2011
An emergency exercise will take place on the afternoon of Thursday June 30, 2011.
Scottish Affairs Committee visit Dounreay
24 June 2011
The Scottish Affairs Committee toured Dounreay yesterday on its visit to Caithness and the northern isles in connection with its inquiries into the Crown Estate and health and safety in Scotland.
NDA to seek views on removal of fuel from Dounreay
16 June 2011
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is to publish a report about the proposed removal of its nuclear fuel from Dounreay and wants to hear the views of the public.
Dounreay reactors safety record continues
10 June 2011
Earlier this month Dounreay's two former electricity generating plants - now being demolished - knocked up a combined total of thirteen years without a lost time accident.
DSRL publishes Annual Report and Accounts
08 June 2011
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2010/11.
New NDA boss for Dounreay shutdown
03 June 2011
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has announced the appointment of a new head of programme for Dounreay.
Dounreay shares decommissioning expertise with international colleagues
02 June 2011
Two of DSRL's project managers have recently spent time overseas sharing knowledge with colleagues from around the world working with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
June issue of 'Dounreay News' now online
02 June 2011
The June issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online.
Particle clean-up resumes offshore
01 June 2011
Work has resumed on the seabed off Dounreay to remove higher activity fragments of irradiated nuclear fuel.
NDA invests £1.1m in new jobs initiative
01 June 2011
A new initiative to support economic development in the north Highlands is being helped with £1.1 million from the organisation in charge of the closure of Dounreay.
Plan now for a future without Dounreay, companies urged
24 May 2011
Companies supplying the clean-up and closure of the nuclear site at Dounreay are being urged to think now about the prospects for their staff when the nuclear industry has left Caithness.
Dounreay tests site emergency plan
24 May 2011
An exercise to test the emergency arrangements at Dounreay takes place on the morning of Wednesday, May 25.
Dounreay clean-up bodies in jobs pledge
23 May 2011
The nuclear industry in Caithness today announced a charter to improve the employment prospects of workers whose jobs currently depend on decommissioning Dounreay.
Dounreay hosts Scotland's biggest clean-up event
19 May 2011
More than 40 companies are taking part in Scotland's biggest one-day trade event for the nuclear clean-up sector at Dounreay today.
£9m clean-up lab planned for Dounreay
19 May 2011
A new laboratory is to be built at Dounreay to provide essential support to the remainder of the site clean-up.
Knowledge sharing helps site shutdown progress
18 May 2011
Leading the way in worldwide nuclear decommissioning means the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and DSRL can share knowledge and expertise with other sites across the NDA estate around Britain.
Rough sea halts clean-up
17 May 2011
Offshore clean-up contractor Land and Marine recovered 50 particles from the seabed before bad weather caused a suspension of its operation.
Offshore clean-up underway again
11 May 2011
Land and Marine has moved its platform into position off Dounreay and resumed the search for high activity fragments in the seabed off Dounreay.
Injury rates down 10-fold as DSRL gets top safety award
10 May 2011
Accidents during the clean-out and demolition of Britain’s former centre of fast reactor research are at their lowest level since records began.
Childhood leukaemia - COMARE issues 14th Report
06 May 2011
The Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment, which advises the UK and Scottish governments, today published its 14th Report.
Museum to expand Dounreay exhibition
05 May 2011
A new permanent exhibition is planned about the role of Dounreay in the development of nuclear energy in the 20th century.
Latest issue of site newspaper published
04 May 2011
The May issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online.
Dounreay to host Scotland's leading trade show
03 May 2011
More than 40 companies have signed up so far for Scotland's biggest annual showcase of nuclear decommissioning expertise at Dounreay this month.
Robots cleaning windows
02 May 2011
Although still using a bog standard ‘chamois’ and a bit of elbow grease, this is far from your normal day to day window cleaning job.
Offshore clean-up to resume
26 April 2011
Work to clean up Dounreay moves offshore next month when contractor Land and Marine returns to the seabed in the latest search for fragments of spent nuclear fuel.
Jillian takes Dounreay clean-up experience to Chernobyl
21 April 2011
Dounreay’s Jillian Bundy has returned from a three-day visit to Ukraine where she joined other international experts at a workshop on training to decommission the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Dounreay's met tower comes down
14 April 2011
Dounreay’s old meteorological tower that once towered over the site was dismantled over a weekend.
Giant tanks installed for reactor dismantling
13 April 2011
Installation of two new twenty-seven tonne nitrogen tanks for the Dounreay Fast Reactor breeder building marks another notable step forward in preparation for taking apart the redundant reactor.
Safety record earns £27,500 pay-out for good causes
07 April 2011
Dounreay’s safety record over the last 12 months earned local charities and good causes a £27,500 windfall.
April issue of Dounreay News available online
05 April 2011
The April issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online.
Babcock announces new appointments
04 April 2011
Babcock International, parent body of Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd, today updated staff on senior appointments to the nuclear business unit of its support services division.
NDA sets out Dounreay clean-up priorities
31 March 2011
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority today published its annual business plan, setting out the clean-up priorities at sites such as Dounreay over the next 12 months and beyond.
DSRL reports iodine in routine checks
31 March 2011
DSRL has informed the Scottish Environment Protection Agency of the detection of traces of iodine in grass samples collected and analysed as part of the site's routine environmental monitoring programme.
Dounreay responds to Japan aid request
31 March 2011
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is making available radiological measurement and protection equipment from its sites in the UK, including Dounreay, to assist the Japanese authorities at Fukushima.
New vaults signal start of waste clearance
24 March 2011
The clearance of tens of thousands of tonnes of radioactive waste from the redundant nuclear site at Dounreay today moved a step closer.
New environment baseline published
23 March 2011
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has published an updated “site specific baseline” in support of a strategic environmental assessment carried out by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
Nuclear shutdown cash boost for school skills
22 March 2011
Cash from the closure of the fast reactor site at Dounreay is set to breed a new generation of engineers and scientists in the Scottish Highlands.
Clean-up reveals 6000 years of human history
22 March 2011
Getting rid of Britain’s 20th century experiment with fast breeder nuclear reactors is illuminating the history of human settlement on Scotland’s north coast stretching back 6000 years.
New strategy sets out clean-up priorities
22 March 2011
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has published its strategy for cleaning up the nuclear legacy at sites such as Dounreay.
New report lists radioactive wastes at Dounreay
22 March 2011
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has published the latest edition of the UK’s radioactive waste inventory.
March 2011 issue of Dounreay News published
04 March 2011
The March issue of the Dounreay News has now been published and is also available online.
Dounreay Constabulary training exercise
03 March 2011
The Civil Nuclear Constabulary at Dounreay will be taking part in a series of firearms training exercises over the weekend of Friday March 4 and concluding on the afternoon of Sunday March 6.
Business group gets £2.2m for Dounreay shutdown plan
02 March 2011
Workers and businesses who depend on Dounreay are set to benefit from a £2.2 million programme to help them adjust to the closure of the site.
DFR pond work nearer to completion
24 February 2011
Emptying of the Dounreay Fast Reactor east pond is almost complete.
Dounreay site alert to be sounded
22 February 2011
Dounreay’s site alert will be sounded briefly on Wednesday February 23 at 8.30am as part of an exercise at the site to test its emergency procedures.
Dounreay rubble recycling makes concrete savings
17 February 2011
A project reusing clean waste concrete from Dounreay’s decommissioning work by turning it into hardcore and aggregate has produced 38,000 tonnes of recycled material.
Another building demolition changes Dounreay's skyline
08 February 2011
The area around Craig More House was closed off as bulldozers moved in on January 28 and razed the building to the ground.
UK Government consults on options for Dounreay plutonium
07 February 2011
The UK Government today announced a consultation on options for the long-term management of plutonium currently held at Dounreay and Sellafield.
Latest issue of Dounreay site newspaper online
01 February 2011
The February 2011 issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online.
Final old-style performance report published
27 January 2011
Dounreay's performance report for December 2010 has been published.
New look for site closure performance report
25 January 2011
Dounreay is changing the way it reports progress on site closure to local community leaders.
Waste to be managed near site, near surface - policy
24 January 2011
The Scottish Government has announced its policy on how higher activity radioactive wastes will be managed in future.
Another building begins to come down
21 January 2011
A demolition team has started to dismantle the latest redundant building to be pulled down at Dounreay.
Offshore clean-up on YouTube
20 January 2011
A major effort to clean up the seabed near the redundant nuclear site at Dounreay is captured in a new film on YouTube.
Former site director to lead Nuclear Institute
19 January 2011
Former Dounreay director Norman Harrison has been appointed president of the Nuclear Institute.
Dounreay to sound site alert
17 January 2011
An unscheduled test of the Dounreay Site Alert system will take place on Tuesday January 18, 2011 at 11.00 hours.
DSRL names preferred bidder for LLW contract
13 January 2011
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has selected Graham Construction as its preferred bidder for the design and build of a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility.
£2m closure plan for site landfill
12 January 2011
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd wants to restore an area of land designated as a rubble dump during the construction and operation phases of the site.
Oil and gas award goes to Dounreay safety reps
10 January 2011
Safety reps in Britain’s offshore oil and gas industry say a close working relationship with their counterparts in nuclear decommissioning at Dounreay has helped to improve safety in two of Britain’s most hazardous industries.
Sphere repaint under review
24 December 2010
The redundant reactor inside the sphere is a major chemical and radiological hazard.
Site closed for Christmas and New Year
23 December 2010
Dounreay closes for the holidays on Friday, December 24 and reopens on Wednesday, January 5.
Dounreay ploughs keep the roads open
22 December 2010
Snow plough drivers from Dounreay have worked round the clock to keep open one of Britain’s most exposed stretches of main road during the severe weather.
Experts get ready to open liquid metal vaults
21 December 2010
Experts are getting to look inside a concrete vault used to store liquid metal from the cooling system of the Dounreay Fast Reactor.
Performance figures for November published
20 December 2010
Dounreay's performance report for November has been published.
Dounreay weather station goes on-line
20 December 2010
Real-time information from Dounreay's weather station can now be viewed on-line.
Severe weather closes site
17 December 2010
As a result of severe weather affecting the north coast of Scotland, Dounreay is closed to non-essential personnel on Friday, December 17.
Dounreay updates site closure plan
16 December 2010
Dounreay’s site closure programme is changing shape as the site falls into line with a cap on funding and prepares for the appointment of a new parent body organisation for the site licence company.
Reactor safety record continues
14 December 2010
The PFR decommissioning team has reached six years without a lost time accident, which equates to approximately two million man hours.
Historic huts go
08 December 2010
Erected at Dounreay in the mid nineteen-sixties, (when the Beatles were in their hey-day), to house the team that built PFR, the cluster of office buildings known as DN023 have now been demolished.
Christmas issue of Dounreay News published
06 December 2010
The December issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online. It’s a bumper Christmas edition, with 20 pages packed with news and articles.
Uranium plant comes apart
06 December 2010
Fifty years ago it was a cornerstone of British research with highly-enriched uranium.
Government consults on Dounreay waste substitution
03 December 2010
The Scottish and UK governments today opened a public consultation on the return of waste to customers of the former UK Atomic Energy Authority fuels business at Dounreay.
NDA sets out clean-up goals for Dounreay
02 December 2010
Dounreay’s owners today published for consultation their 2011/12 business plan, which includes a summary of key decommissioning tasks to be completed next year.
The Dounreay Story on You Tube
01 December 2010
A new film telling the story of Dounreay, from its inception through to closure, has been released.
October performance figures published
26 November 2010
Dounreay's performance report for October 2010 has been published.
Kane joins DSRL senior management team
25 November 2010
Joe Kane has joined the DSRL senior management team as the new head of the Commercial department, following the departure of temporary manager Iain Caine.
New seabed machine cleans up 429 fuel fragments
11 November 2010
The latest phase of offshore clean-up recovered 429 fragments from the seabed off Dounreay during August, September and October.
Siren to sound for Armistice Day
11 November 2010
Dounreay's site alert will be sounded at 11am on Thursday, November 11, for workers who wish to observe Armistice Day.
Dounreay site newspaper for November online
03 November 2010
The November issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online.
Dounreay publishes performance figures for September
02 November 2010
Dounreay's performance report for September has been published.
French regulators turn to Auld Alliance for decommissioning help
01 November 2010
Four experts from the Autorité de Sureté Nucleaire, the French nuclear safety inspectorate, spent a day at Dounreay discussing the decommissioning of alkali metal cooled fast reactors.
Casualty star treads the boards for safety at Dounreay
29 October 2010
Casualty star Ronnie McCann is helping workers at Dounreay stay out of real-life accident and emergency units.
Archaeologists search LLW disposal site
28 October 2010
Archaeologists are surveying fields next to Dounreay prior to their development as a site for the disposal of low-active waste from its decommissioning.
Dounreay boss welcomes funding announcement
20 October 2010
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd today welcomed an announcement about how much public money will be available to continue nuclear clean-up in the UK.
Radioactivity in food and the environment around Dounreay
13 October 2010
A report published today provides detailed information about the levels of radioactivity in food and the environment around Dounreay.
DFR clean-up going to plan
06 October 2010
A decommissioning team is well on its way to emptying the water-filled ponds used historically to store spent fuel from the Dounreay Fast Reactor.
DSRL welcomes £2m boost for Scrabster Harbour
05 October 2010
DSRL's managing director Simon Middlemas today welcomed the Government’s announcement of £2m NDA socio economic funding for the development of Scrabster Harbour.
Latest issue of Dounreay News published online
04 October 2010
The October issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online.
August performance figures published
01 October 2010
Dounreay's performance figures for August have been published online.
Offshore clean-up recovers more than 270 fragments
30 September 2010
More than 270 fragments of nuclear fuel have been recovered from the seabed since the latest phase of offshore clean-up got underway at the start of August.
Newspaper showcase for site closure work
28 September 2010
Britain's biggest nuclear site closure project is showcased in a 32-page, full-colour newspaper published today.
Secretary of State visits Dounreay
24 September 2010
Michael Moore, Secretary of State for Scotland in the UK Government, today visited Dounreay to see how the nation’s experiment with fast breeder reactors is being dismantled.
Exercise to test 999 services
21 September 2010
An exercise is being held in Inverness on Wednesday, September 22, to test how the 999 services would respond to an accident at Dounreay.
Dounreay police help kids learn about safety
21 September 2010
Dounreay officials have been helping local organisations educate hundreds of local youngsters about everyday dangers in their lives.
Dounreay adopts charter for supply chain
20 September 2010
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd is among the companies operating on NDA sites to adopt a new charter designed to improve working relationships throughout the supply chain.
Five firms short-listed for major construction contract
17 September 2010
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has short-listed five companies to compete for a contract to design and build a disposal facility for low-level radioactive waste from the decommissioning of Britain’s fast reactor experiment.
Dounreay sets out what will be kept when site has gone
16 September 2010
Dounreay’s clean-up and closure contractor today sets out how it will leave in place a cultural legacy of Britain’s 20th century experiment with fast breeder nuclear reactors when the site itself has been flattened.
Dounreay joins UK review of waste management
13 September 2010
Dounreay’s clean-up company is taking part in a UK initiative that aims to standardise the way Britain’s most hazardous radioactive wastes are looked after in future.
September's issue of Dounreay News available online
06 September 2010
The September issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online.
Apprentices can thrive in new offshore boom
03 September 2010
A new generation of workers emerging from the shutdown of Dounreay can become the backbone of Scotland’s biggest offshore development since the discovery of oil in the North Sea over 40 years ago.
PFR plant prepped for demolition
02 September 2010
An inconspicuous building, hugging the north coast of the Dounreay site and nestling in the shadows of PFR, is the old active effluent treatment plant.
NDA publishes strategy for consultation
01 September 2010
The public body responsible for the clean-up and closure of Dounreay today publishes its draft strategy for consultation.
Old PFR construction offices set for demolition
31 August 2010
A demolition team has stripped out a suite of redundant offices in preparation for the bulldozers moving in.
Site performance report for July now online
30 August 2010
Dounreay's performance report for July has been published.
New site closure plan begins to take shape
27 August 2010
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd is updating its workforce this week about the changing shape of the site closure plan and efforts to bring new industry to the area.
Bulldozers get ready for Craig More House
26 August 2010
A demolition team is preparing to move into Craig More House at Dounreay.
Metal destruction rate powers ahead
25 August 2010
One of the most important decommissioning projects at Dounreay has chalked up one of its most impressive monthly performances.
Full museum status awarded to attraction charting Dounreay’s history
25 August 2010
The magnificently restored Thurso Town Hall and Carnegie Library hosts a museum and community facility that captures the past brought to life through displays and interpretation and has a dedicated Dounreay room charting the history of the site dating back to the 1950’s.
Dounreay clean-up moves offshore and up a gear
06 August 2010
Dounreay’s site closure programme is moving offshore and up a gear to recover more radioactive waste from the seabed.
Heritage strategy to be published next month
06 August 2010
Britain’s first heritage strategy for a nuclear site is set to be published next month.
Shutdown plan includes help for workers and business
05 August 2010
A new report sets out how Dounreay’s clean-up contractor is helping staff and local businesses adjust to site closure.
Work begins to dismantle uranium line
04 August 2010
Work is underway to dismantle the next area of a chemical plant that played a key role in the recycling of nuclear fuel at Dounreay.
August issue of site newspaper available online
04 August 2010
The August issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online.
Directors sought for £4m community fund
30 July 2010
Members of the public are being invited to serve as board members of a new community fund from Dounreay worth £4 million.
Dounreay goes wild for biodiversity project
29 July 2010
In International Biodiversity year, a honey of an environmental project has set Dounreay buzzing.
Dounreay director to take on new role with Babcock International
27 July 2010
Roger Hardy, Babcock International Group’s managing director - nuclear, has announced the future appointment of Simon Middlemas to the post of key account director NDA with Babcock International.
June performance report now online
26 July 2010
Dounreay's performance report for June has been published.
Dounreay rubble to be recycled in site remediation
20 July 2010
Almost a million tonnes of rubble from the demolition of Dounreay is set to be turned into hardcore and used in the remediation of the former nuclear research site.
New DSRL Suppliers pages launched
20 July 2010
The new DSRL Suppliers pages have gone live on the website.
Bigger clean-up machine heads for Dounreay seabed
19 July 2010
The next phase of work to remove particles from the seabed at Dounreay will get underway later this month.
Dounreay hosts world-wide conference
12 July 2010
During the spring bank holiday weekend a dedicated team of Dounreay’s decommissioning experts played host to members of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO).
Latest issue of Dounreay News published
01 July 2010
The July issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online.
Life at Dounreay a hard slog in war time
30 June 2010
A recently-discovered booklet offers a glimpse of life at Dounreay’s airfield during the Second World War.
Plutonium facility clean-up captured on film
29 June 2010
A legacy of Dounreay’s commercial venture into nuclear reprocessing has been consigned to history.
Nuclear spanners just the job for steam railway
28 June 2010
A box of huge imperial ‘flogging’ spanners, found in the Prototype Fast Reactor's turbine hall, are starting a new life with a Highland steam railway.
Dounreay Police to exercise security arrangements
25 June 2010
The annual site counter terrorist exercise will take place at Dounreay during the evening of Wednesday, June 30. The site alert may be sounded.
DFR hazard destruction ahead of schedule
25 June 2010
Safe destruction of over 20,000 litres of the liquid metal left over from the UK’s first fast reactor experiment is a milestone several weeks ahead of schedule that the Dounreay Fast Reactor decommissioning team can be very proud of.
International safety award for Dounreay
25 June 2010
Dounreay’s continuing efforts to improve the safety of its workforce were recognised at a leading event attended by 900 guests from around the world.
Dounreay publishes May performance report
24 June 2010
Dounreay's performance report for May has been published.
DSRL publishes annual report and accounts for 2009/10
23 June 2010
DSRL has published its annual report and accounts for the year ended March 31, 2010.
Crane removal captured on film
21 June 2010
The removal of a building crane in one of Dounreay’s redundant facilities has been captured on film.
NDA publishes environment baseline report
15 June 2010
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has published site specific baselines for its sites, including Dounreay, as part of its strategic environmental assessment.
Two consortia announced in Dounreay competition
15 June 2010
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has announced two consortia that will proceed to the next stage of competition for a parent body organisation for Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd.
New clean-up contracts will reduce cost to NDA
10 June 2010
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has awarded contracts worth in excess of £12 million to three companies to provide skilled staff for the next phase of dismantling the site.
Redundant uranium plant is broken up
08 June 2010
A chemical plant built 20 years ago to process fuel from Germany’s high temperature reactor programme is the latest piece of Dounreay to be scrapped and turned into radioactive waste.
Toxic hazard levels are dropping fast
07 June 2010
The Dounreay plant that destroys the largest single hazard left over from the fast reactor experiment is working full throttle and has destroyed the equivalent of approximately 19,000 litre bottles of the liquid metal.
Classic film gets new lease of life
07 June 2010
A classic piece of Dounreay’s heritage from the 1950s has been given a new lease of life on the Internet.
Dounreay workers could dismantle ageing rigs
04 June 2010
The potential of tidal energy and the prospect of the world’s biggest underwater power station being built in the Pentland Firth has been in the headlines. But it’s not the only potential area of new employment for Dounreay workers that the site is supporting.
June issue of Dounreay News online
02 June 2010
The June issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online.
Fire brigade extinguishes sodium outbreak
28 May 2010
At 0040hrs today, a fire alarm sounded inside the Prototype Fast Reactor complex. One person who was in the building at the time immediately evacuated the area.
Dounreay recycles clean waste from nuclear clean-up
27 May 2010
A site which once recycled spent nuclear fuel is now committed to recycling the clean waste produced by its decommissioning programme.
Dounreay hosts technology trade show
27 May 2010
Some of Britain's leading suppliers of technology to the nuclear industry are at Dounreay today for the site's annual trade exhibition.
Dounreay hands over old fuel contracts
26 May 2010
International Nuclear Services has taken over formal management responsibility from Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd for the site's overseas reprocessing contracts, on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
April issue of performance report published
24 May 2010
Dounreay's performance report for April has been published.
New films focus on waste shaft
21 May 2010
Two new films have been released about an underground shaft used for the disposal of intermediate level waste at Dounreay more than 30 years ago.
Dounreay safety awards windfall for local charities
20 May 2010
Dounreay’s annual safety awards have netted a £4000 windfall for local charities and community groups.
Dounreay security expert wins global award
17 May 2010
A security expert at Dounreay has been honoured for his contribution to ways to improve the security of nuclear material around the world.
Reduction of Dounreay’s historic legacies continues
13 May 2010
Dounreay's Prototype Fast Reactor was the second and last fast reactor to be built in the UK. It operated for twenty years until 1994 and had the dual role of providing power to the national grid and offering unique research and development facilities.
Royal visitors - can you help?
12 May 2010
We are carrying out research into members of the royal family who have visited the Dounreay site.
Dounreay to host trade show for suppliers
11 May 2010
More than 40 suppliers to the UK nuclear industry will be taking part in a trade exhibition at Dounreay on May 27.
Dounreay to exercise emergency arrangements
11 May 2010
An exercise to test the emergency arrangements at Dounreay takes place on the morning of Wednesday, May 12.
Dounreay demolition running at 100 sq ft every day
07 May 2010
Dounreay is being demolished at a rate of 100 sq. ft. every day, new figures reveal.
May issue of Dounreay site newspaper published
06 May 2010
The May issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online.
Dounreay clean up company scoops international safety award
04 May 2010
Nuclear decommissioning company Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) has won a prestigious international safety award from one of the world’s leading health and safety organisations for the second year running.
Crane replacement timelapse video goes live
04 May 2010
A DFR decommissioning team led by Mark Aitken has successfully installed a new 55 tonne crane into the breeder removal building adjacent to DFR.
Dounreay performance report for March published
28 April 2010
Dounreay's performance report for March has been published.
Film goes underground at Dounreay
22 April 2010
A £500,000 project to lay a new pipeline for radioactive effluent from the decommissioning of Dounreay is the subject of a new film.
DFR pond dismantling steps up a gear
21 April 2010
As the decommissioning of Dounreay’s dome continues apace the legacies from the past are being stripped out of the redundant facility.
Dounreay scientists help kids study solar system
20 April 2010
Dounreay’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) ambassadors have been getting involved in helping school children understand the wonders of our solar system.
Sofa so good for reactor inspection
08 April 2010
If you were probing the depths of a redundant nuclear reactor with a remotely controlled device resembling a hedgehog that toppled over when cornering, what would you do?
April issue of Dounreay News published
08 April 2010
The latest issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online.
Workers hit the jackpot for charity
07 April 2010
Almost 200 community projects in the north of Scotland landed a cash windfall thanks to the safety record of workers at Dounreay.
NDA sets out clean-up priorities for Dounreay
01 April 2010
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s annual business plan, published today, sets out the key activities it expects to see carried out at Dounreay over the next 12 months.
Tenders sought for new waste disposal site
31 March 2010
Companies are being invited to express interest in tendering for the design and construction of a disposal facility for low-level radioactive waste from the decommissioning of Dounreay and adjacent Vulcan facility.
Dounreay skills can harness power of the sea
31 March 2010
Skills built up in Britain’s most successful nuclear decommissioning project can power Scotland’s new era in electricity from the sea, industrialists in Aberdeen heard today.
National praise for Dounreay's work with schools
30 March 2010
Dounreay has won national recognition for its work to promote engineering and science in local schools.
Breeder element strip hits target
29 March 2010
Almost 500 irradiated ‘breeder’ elements from the Dounreay Fast Reactor have been successfully de-clad by a small team of workers this year, hitting the target set for the project.
DSRL continues to reduce in size
27 March 2010
DSRL is updating staff, trade unions and key stakeholders about the latest forecasts for continued planned reductions in its workforce as more of the site is decommissioned.
All over for the DFR stack
25 March 2010
The original stack from the Dounreay Fast Reactor has ended its days as a pile of scrap metal.
February Performance Report published online
25 March 2010
Dounreay's performance report for February has been published.
More of Dounreay is flattened
23 March 2010
Another piece of Dounreay's history has been razed to the ground.
Getting into shape for £150m programme
11 March 2010
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd this week updated staff and local community leaders about the shape of its decommissioning programme following January’s announcement about how much funding will be available in future.
Heritage plan moves a step closer
10 March 2010
A heritage strategy for one of the UK's most important nuclear sites of the 20th century has moved a step closer.
March issue of Dounreay News published
03 March 2010
The March issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online.
Dounreay workers achieve a year without 'lost time accident'
02 March 2010
Dounreay’s workforce has notched up a staggering 3.76 million man hours without an industrial work-related personal injury that results in more than three days off work.
Looking inside the Dounreay prototype fast reactor
25 February 2010
DSRL’s specialist in-house design team have designed some ingenious inventions over the years.
January issue of Performance Report published
22 February 2010
Dounreay's performance report for January 2010 has been published.
Heritage workshop hailed a success
17 February 2010
A heritage workshop was held in Edinburgh in January as part of Dounreay's engagement programme to gather views on its draft Heritage Strategy.
Removal of building crane important step in demolition
11 February 2010
A building crane in one of Dounreay’s shut-down facilities became a waste package itself when a much larger crane reached in through the roof and lifted it off its rails.
Artist gets to work on Dounreay's culture
10 February 2010
A Scottish artist is set to bring a new perspective to the cultural heritage of Scotland's biggest nuclear site.
Have your say on Dounreay's heritage
05 February 2010
DSRL is inviting comments from staff, contractors and the general public on the proposals set out in the Heritage Strategy documents. Time is running out as the deadline for responses is 8th March, so if you want to have your say on how to retain the heritage of the Dounreay site click here.
Site director announces senior management reshuffle
05 February 2010
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has announced changes to its senior management team.
Coolant destruction is 4000 times cleaner than expected
04 February 2010
Emissions from a plant built to destroy one of Britain’s biggest environmental hazards have been up to 4000 times cleaner than its designers expected.
Top apprentice Greg in national finals
04 February 2010
One of the youngest apprentices ever recruited at Dounreay is promising to become one of its brightest sparks.
February issue of Dounreay News published
02 February 2010
The February issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has now been published and is also available online.
Dounreay seeks variation in SEPA permit
30 January 2010
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd is seeking a variation to its permit from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency governing the use of cement in a waste processing plant.
DSRL welcomes assurance on funding
26 January 2010
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd today welcomed an announcement by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority about funding for the site beyond 2011.
December performance report available online
25 January 2010
Dounreay's performance report for December has been published.
Reactor dismantling gathers pace
22 January 2010
Preparations for the removal and clean-out of the third giant PFR dirty dump tank are underway.
Reactor pioneers bring back the knowledge
21 January 2010
A group of old timers have returned to Dounreay to retrace their steps after working on the construction of the prototype fast reactor over 40 years ago.
Subsea robot dives into nuclear clean-up
20 January 2010
A robotic arm used in underwater environments in the oil and gas industry will be helping Dounreay workers clean out radioactive cells.
Government consults on nuclear waste policy
19 January 2010
Decommissioning Dounreay generates a variety of different wastes that need to be managed carefully to protect the public and environment from harm. Some of this waste is radioactive.
'Daunting' clean-up project completes on time
14 January 2010
A seven year project to clean up the dirtiest area of Dounreay’s uranium conversion plant has been successfully completed on time.
New report sets clean-up goals for 2010
07 January 2010
A new report sets out the key tasks that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority expects to be completed at Dounreay in the coming year.
No let-up for holidays in hazard reduction at Dounreay
06 January 2010
There was no let-up during Christmas and New Year in the drive to rid Dounreay of two of its most hazardous legacies.
Season's greetings from Dounreay
24 December 2009
Much of Dounreay closes down for the festive holidays on December 24 and restarts on Tuesday January 5. Work essential for safety continues during this period.
Fire engine's last call is to museum
23 December 2009
Dounreay’s specialist fire engine has been called out for the last time - to head for a new life in a museum for historic vehicles.
Dounreay submits new proposal for lower discharges
22 December 2009
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has presented estimates of how much radioactivity it expects to dispose of during the remainder of the site clean-up and closure programme.
November performance figures published
22 December 2009
Dounreay's performance report for November has been published.
Reactor teams reach 12 years accident-free
21 December 2009
As the hazardous decommissioning work rapidly progresses within its redundant nuclear reactors, maintaining a flawless safety record is an achievement the Dounreay fast reactor demolition squads can be proud of.
Photos uncovered of Duke of Edinburgh at Dounreay
17 December 2009
Forgotten photographs have emerged of a visit by the Duke of Edinburgh to Dounreay during its construction in October 1957.
Flask goes as full-scale decommissioning of plant begins
16 December 2009
The team cleaning out the fast reactor reprocessing plant in Dounreay’s fuel cycle area lined up to say goodbye to the last of the 'Punit' flasks as it made its final journey.
Dounreay newspapers scoop NDA awards
15 December 2009
Dounreay has won two awards in a competition to find the best examples of keeping people informed across Britain’s nuclear clean-up industry.
Building comes down as waste pits waterproofed
14 December 2009
Another building comes down as preliminary work to decommission Dounreay's historic waste pits gets underway.
Youngsters debate future of sphere in heritage consultation
10 December 2009
Young people in Caithness are being encouraged to have their say on which aspects of the Dounreay former nuclear research facility should be preserved for posterity.
Partnering with Dounreay helps College win award
07 December 2009
A close partnering relationship with Dounreay helped the North Highland College UHI to scoop first prize in the Partnership category of the prestigious Scotland’s Colleges Annual Awards.
December issue of site newspaper now online
04 December 2009
The December issue of the Dounreay News has been published online.
Building clean out detects historic nuclear material
03 December 2009
As Dounreay’s decommissioning progresses, tiny amounts of fissile material caught up in nooks and crannies of inaccessible pipework and equipment are being identified.
October performance figures published online
02 December 2009
Dounreay's performance report for October has been published.
NDA chief sees toxic hazard disappear
01 December 2009
The new man in charge of Britain’s nuclear clean-up has seen one of the country’s biggest hazards being destroyed at Dounreay.
Mrs Thatcher's quest for energy 30 years ago
24 November 2009
Thirty years ago, Margaret Thatcher was the last Prime Minister to announce a new generation of nuclear power stations.
Dounreay to become UK's first nuclear heritage project
23 November 2009
Within a few years, much of the experimental nuclear site at Dounreay will disappear from the landscape.
World's deepest clean-up job wins fourth top award
20 November 2009
The world's deepest nuclear clean-up job has won another top award for engineering excellence.
New report assesses public dose from Dounreay
19 November 2009
A new report provides an independent assessment of the levels of radioactivity that members of the public are exposed to near Dounreay.
Website survey results published
19 November 2009
Nine out of ten people who took part in a survey say their impression of Dounreay has changed for the better after using the dounreay.com website.
Dirty cell clean up goes through the roof
18 November 2009
The x-ray cell in one of Dounreay’s redundant fuel cycle facilities has been stripped out, earning the decommissioning team a performance-based incentive.
Cameras penetrate underground nuclear waste store
16 November 2009
Two remotely-operated cameras have sent back video and photos of the intermediate-level radioactive waste stored in Dounreay’s wet silo.
Fifty years of flight at Dounreay
13 November 2009
Fifty years of aviation history at Dounreay are captured in a new section of the dounreay.com website.
Fast breeder was Britain's 'man on the moon moment'
09 November 2009
It was Britain’s man-on-the-moon moment, when a decade of scientific and engineering breakthroughs culminated in the most advanced nuclear plant in the world.
Siren sounds for Armistice Day
09 November 2009
Dounreay's site alert will be sounded at 11am on Wednesday, November 11, to enable workers to take part in a minute's slience on Armistice Day.
Archive film of Dounreay released on internet
05 November 2009
Historic film of the construction of Britain’s experimental fast breeder reactor at Dounreay can now be viewed on the internet.
November Dounreay News online today
03 November 2009
The November issue of the site's monthly newspaper, Dounreay News, is available online.
New on-line photo library reveals Queen Mother inside DFR
02 November 2009
A unique photographic record of the Queen Mother at the cutting edge of Britain’s quest for nuclear energy 50 years ago has been published for the first time.
DSRL moves into private sector with Babcock
02 November 2009
Ownership of Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has moved from the public sector to the private sector.
September performance report published online
27 October 2009
DSRL's most recent monthly performance report has been published.
Residents advised of reduction in accident hazard
26 October 2009
People living near Dounreay are being advised of changes to the arrangements in place for dealing with an emergency.
Dounreay fast reactor old stack to be scrapped
23 October 2009
Another relic of Dounreay’s past is about to be consigned to history.
Top engineering award for shaft clean-up project
20 October 2009
Dounreay’s multi award-winning shaft clean-up project has earned yet another top engineering award.
Dounreay publishes latest socio economic plan
20 October 2009
Dounreay publishes plan of future work
15 October 2009
Dounreay has published details of £114m worth of contracts to be placed during the next three years.
Dounreay wins Sword of Honour safety award
15 October 2009
Dounreay’s clean-up contractor has won the highest international safety award from the British Safety Council.
Closure of foreign fuel contracts
11 October 2009
Dounreay entered into contracts in the early 1990s with overseas customers to recycle their spent fuel. This work ceased following a breakdown in one of the chemical plants in 1996.
Retiring firefighter finds new home
06 October 2009
A unique fire engine specially made to tackle radioactive metal fires at Dounreay has been saved from the scrap heap, thanks to a group of local vehicle enthusiasts.
October's Dounreay News published today
01 October 2009
The October issue of the site's monthly newspaper, Dounreay News, is available online.
Reactor decommissioning film goes live
01 October 2009
A new film has been produced showing the decommissioning progress within the redundant Prototype Fast Reactor (PFR).
Camera team to probe underground waste
29 September 2009
A decommissioning team is getting ready to look inside an underground bunker where intermediate-level radioactive waste has lain submerged in water for almost 40 years.
Dounreay is platform for Scots clean-up expertise
29 September 2009
Scottish companies are marketing their expertise in nuclear decommissioning to delegates from seven countries that are in Scotland to learn how the country is dismantling its nuclear heritage.
'Decommissioning Dounreay' now on-line
29 September 2009
Scotland’s biggest nuclear decommissioning project is featured in a 32-page colour newspaper being distributed widely across the Northern Highlands.
Tests underway to retrieve underground waste
24 September 2009
One of the most demanding clean-up jobs ever undertaken in the history of nuclear energy is gathering pace.
Exercise at Dounreay
24 September 2009
An emergency exercise will be held at Dounreay at 9am today.
August performance report available online
24 September 2009
DSRL's most recent monthly performance report has been published.
Tell us what you think
24 September 2009
DSRL today launches a short survey for its website users.
NDA launches competition for Dounreay
22 September 2009
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has launched its competition for the ownership of Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd.
DSRL's owners to be acquired by Babcock
18 September 2009
It was announced today that Babcock International Group PLC, the engineering support services company, is to acquire UKAEA Ltd, the parent company of Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd.
Dounreay publishes off-site contamination report
17 September 2009
Dounreay today publishes the findings of its investigation into the discovery of a radioactive particle in land adjacent to the licensed site.
UK Minister sees first screening of new clean-up film
07 September 2009
UK Government Minister Lord Hunt today visited the site of Scotland’s most successful nuclear clean-up project and watched the first screening of a film about its clean-out and demolition.
Lord Hunt sees major hazard being destroyed
07 September 2009
The Minister in charge of Britain’s nuclear clean-up today stepped inside one of the biggest projects in his brief.
Dounreay delivers £6m in savings to NDA
07 September 2009
The performance of Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd during its first year of operation is highlighted in the newly-published annual report and accounts of its parent body, UKAEA.
September's Dounreay News now published
01 September 2009
The September issue of the site's monthly newspaper, Dounreay News, has been published.
July site performance report now online
26 August 2009
The site clean-up performance report for July 2009 has now been published.
Cillit Bang cleans up old plutonium plant
24 August 2009
Nuclear sites across Britain are showing interest in the discovery by workers at Dounreay that one of the country’s best-selling household cleaners removes plutonium stains more effectively than many industrial clean-up products.
Nostalgic return for 1956 apprentice
20 August 2009
Donald and Alaine Mackay dropped into the dounreay.com information office in Thurso during their holidays.
Monster tank lifted from redundant reactor
19 August 2009
Imagine hoisting a twenty-six tonne cylinder as deep as a diving pool from the depths of a former nuclear power plant.
Clean-up removes 29 "significant" particles from seabed
19 August 2009
More than a hundred fragments of spent nuclear fuel were removed from the seabed in the latest phase of work to clean up and shut down the former nuclear research site at Dounreay.
Survey detects contamination on proposed waste disposal site
19 August 2009
Two small areas of radioactive contamination have been detected during a survey of grazing land adjacent to the former nuclear research site at Dounreay.
Safety audit earns Dounreay top award
06 August 2009
An independent audit of health and safety at Dounreay has placed the site in the highest category of good practice.
Free poster shows clean-up progress under NDA
05 August 2009
Fifty-two buildings flattened, an area of the site equivalent to three football pitches razed to the ground, no nuclear accidents and a five-fold reduction in injuries . . .
Royal seal for Dounreay's place in Highland history
03 August 2009
Prince Charles has set the royal seal of approval on a £4 million project that secures the story of Dounreay in the history of the Highlands.
August issue of site newspaper online
03 August 2009
The August issue of the site's monthly newspaper, Dounreay News, is available online.
NDA: criticality cell clean-up a real triumph
30 July 2009
The successful clean up and demolition of Dounreay’s plutonium criticality laboratory has been highlighted as a case study in the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency’s (NDA) annual report for 2008/09.
June performance report published
29 July 2009
The site clean-up performance report for June 2009 has now been published.
Hockey stick lifted from former reactor
23 July 2009
Looming high into the roof voids of the former Prototype Fast Reactor steam generating building stood a gigantic metal hockey stick shaped structure.
DSRL publishes its first Annual Report
23 July 2009
DSRL has today published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2008/9 – the first since becoming a site licence company on 1 April 2008.
IAEA showcase for public participation at Dounreay
16 July 2009
Dounreay’s approach to involving stakeholders in decisions about the clean-up and closure of the site is featured in a new publication from the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Safety awards celebrate Dounreay successes
09 July 2009
“A credit to the site” is how Dounreay director Simon Middlemas described the winners and runners-up in the annual safety, health and environment awards.
July's issue of Dounreay News available online
03 July 2009
The June issue of the site's monthly newspaper, Dounreay News, is available to read online.
Dounreay publishes its monthly performance report for May
01 July 2009
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has published its monthly performance report for May.
Dounreay’s largest hazard removal cranks up a gear
23 June 2009
Dounreay is well on its way to destroying the largest single hazard left over from the fast reactor research and development programme.
New film captures clean-up progress
17 June 2009
A new film about decommissioning Dounreay gets its first public screening today at a national stakeholder event in Manchester run by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
Hazardous work increases as incident rate falls
16 June 2009
The acceleration of decommissioning at Dounreay is reflected in new statistics showing how much more of the site is being penetrated by clean-up teams.
Offshore clean-up set to resume
04 June 2009
An area of seabed equivalent in size to more than 10 football pitches is to be monitored over the summer during the next phase of implementation of Dounreay’s particle recovery programme.
Sphere pond surveyed
04 June 2009
The remnants of the past are gradually being stripped out of Dounreay’s dome.
June issue of Dounreay News published today
29 May 2009
The June issue of the site's monthly newspaper, Dounreay News, is available online.
April performance report published
27 May 2009
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has published its monthly performance report for April.
Trade show promotes nuclear clean-up
21 May 2009
Businesses in Britain’s £70bn nuclear clean-up market were urged today to seize the opportunity of decommissioning Dounreay to become world leaders in the field.
Eight-ton fans will drive fuel plants clean-up
20 May 2009
Like a giant Meccano set, some 1500 parts are being fitted together to create a new ventilation system that will protect workers decommissioning some of Dounreay’s most hazardous facilities.
Dounreay joins Learning at Work Day
14 May 2009
Dounreay is among hundreds of workplaces across Britain taking part today in an initiative to encourage workers to develop new skills and gain more qualifications.
Green light for waste plans
13 May 2009
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has received planning consent for two of the biggest construction projects needed to complete the site clean-up.
Reactorsaurus to pull apart Dounreay plant
05 May 2009
In order to pull out the innards of the redundant reactor which once fed power into the national grid, DSRL’s design engineers have had to come up with some pretty ingenious inventions since the reactor was switched off.
Performance Report for March now published
01 May 2009
The site clean-up performance report for March 2009 has now been published.
May issue of Dounreay News online now
01 May 2009
The May issue of Dounreay News has been published and is available on the website.
Safety record earns charity windfall
23 April 2009
Dounreay’s industrial safety record during the last 12 months earned a £22,500 windfall for good causes locally.
Bespoke firefighters go as Dounreay's hazards reduce
08 April 2009
The destruction of the liquid metal coolant in Dounreay’s experimental fast reactors means that the site can say farewell to two of its firefighters, the graphex tenders.
Drop testing uses new off-site facility
07 April 2009
Dropping a large three metre stainless steel container from a great height might seem like a bizarre concept, but it’s all in a days work for the PFR project team.
Monster tanks prepared for removal
06 April 2009
Four monster tanks are ready to be removed from the prototype fast reactor’s steam generation building at Dounreay.
Dounreay wins top safety award
06 April 2009
Dounreay has scooped a prestigious international award from one of the world’s leading health and safety training, advisory and audit bodies.
PFR offices ready for demolition
02 April 2009
Erected at Dounreay in the early seventies to house the PFR installation and reactor commissioning teams, the cluster of ‘temporary’ office buildings, known as DN023, now sit empty ready for demolition.
April 'Dounreay News' published today
01 April 2009
The new look Dounreay News is on the site's news stands today.
February site performance report out today
01 April 2009
The site clean-up performance report for February 2009 has now been published.
Household glass cleaner helps decommissioners clean up
01 April 2009
Another legacy of Dounreay’s commercial venture into nuclear reprocessing has been safely cleaned up and taken apart.
Hundred firms show interest in major projects
26 March 2009
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd today held talks with almost 100 companies interested in building three new plants needed to complete the decommissioning of the site.
Ground work begins for shaft clean-out
24 March 2009
Work is underway on the next phase of a major clean-up project unique in the history of the nuclear industry.
NDA director impressed by demolition progress
24 March 2009
NDA director Jim Morse visited Dounreay to see the final stages of demolition of the plutonium criticality complex.
Heritage agency in talks with site
20 March 2009
Officials from Dounreay and Historic Scotland met today for talks about a heritage strategy for the site.
Site publishes contaminated land strategy
18 March 2009
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd today published its strategy for dealing with contaminated land as part of the site closure programme.
Concern about castle condition
18 March 2009
Consulting engineers Cruden Associates are carrying out a structural survey of the 16th century Dounreay Castle.
New stacks change the skyline at Dounreay
18 March 2009
Dounreay’s skyline changed once again on Friday 13 March when the twin stacks of the new FCA ventilation system rose into the sky.
Shaft clean-up hailed by more award judges
16 March 2009
Dounreay’s award-winning shaft clean-up project has earned more industry plaudits.
Caithness scoops national industry skills awards
13 March 2009
To view video footage of interviews with the winners of the awards click on the following link: http://www.nuclear.nsacademy.co.uk/node/907
Lorries carry Dounreay away every 20 minutes
11 March 2009
Lorries laden with spoil are leaving Dounreay every 20 minutes as the site gears up for the next big phase of its decommissioning.
Plutonium cell reduced to rubble
10 March 2009
A stump of concrete and steel is all that remains standing of one Britain's most historic nuclear research facilities from the 1950s.
Sphere hazard removal gets green light
06 March 2009
Dounreay is another step closer to destroying one of the largest single hazards left over from the fast reactor research and development programme.
March issue of Dounreay News now published
02 March 2009
The March issue of Dounreay News has now been published.
Dounreay's performance report for January now available
02 March 2009
The site clean-up performance report for January 2009 has now been published.
New stacks set to rise above Dounreay
27 February 2009
Dounreay’s skyline is set to change again when two new ventilation stacks – each the size of a jet airliner’s fuselage – are moved into position.
Dounreay seeks interest from supply chain in major new construction work
26 February 2009
Dounreay is holding a special event for contractors with an interest in three major new construction projects.
Skyline change at Dounreay as facility is demolished
25 February 2009
Dounreay's skyline is set to change as another important facility is turned to rubble.
Reactor camera photographs lava-like residue
25 February 2009
Another ground-breaking device is leading the way with decommissioning Dounreay’s Prototype Fast Reactor.
Hi-tech “worm” probes subterranean pipeline
12 February 2009
A hi-tech “worm” is probing a subterranean pipeline used to discharge radioactive effluent from Dounreay between 1957 and 1992.
Shaft clean-up in showcase of engineering excellence
09 February 2009
Work to decommission the waste shaft at Dounreay has been highly commended in a showcase of Britain's leading ground engineering projects.
New report lists R & D opportunities
05 February 2009
A new report lists more than 100 opportunities for research and development to support the decommissioning of the site.
February issue of Dounreay News now available
03 February 2009
The February issue of the site's newspaper is now available. Once again, it's a bumper 16-page edition.
Recycling initiative earns award for Dounreay
29 January 2009
Dounreay’s commitment to recycling clean waste has earned them a bronze award (one star) by a new rating scheme, National Recycling Stars.
Plasma-arc cuts through old fuel plant
29 January 2009
Dounreay's latest monthly performance report is now available.
IAEA delegates visit Dounreay clean-up
26 January 2009
Delegates from 12 countries are visiting Dounreay this week as part of an initiative by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
New ventilation stacks arrive at Dounreay
20 January 2009
The first pieces of two 30 metre high ventilation stacks have arrived at Dounreay.
Council approves £110m waste plan for Dounreay
13 January 2009
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd today welcomed local authority planning approval for a £110m investment in new facilities for managing low-level radioactive waste.
Emergency planning zone shrinks to 1.15km
08 January 2009
Dounreay’s detailed emergency planning zone is being reduced from 5km to 1.15km.
Revealed - the 1950s plutonium experiment behind latest clean-up success
07 January 2009
The fascinating story behind one of Dounreay's most remarkable decommissioning projects is revealed today.
Public asked to rank attributes for waste review
06 January 2009
Dounreay is inviting organisations and members of the public to help it decide how certain types of waste from decommissioning should be managed in future.
New Year Honour for DSRL chairman
05 January 2009
Stephen White, chairman of Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd and director of business strategy with parent body UKAEA, has been named an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours.
November performance report published
22 December 2008
Dounreay's latest monthly performance report has been published.
Breeder element removal tool installed in fast reactor
17 December 2008
A versatile remotely-operated machine that will cut the heart out of Dounreay’s fast reactor has been installed in the sphere.
Shaft clean-up nominated for top award
16 December 2008
A ground-breaking project to recover nuclear waste from a shaft beneath Dounreay is in the running for a top award.
'Great achievement' says director as first fuel pond is cleaned out
15 December 2008
Dounreay workers have completed the clean up of the first of Dounreay’s fuel ponds. As well as being a first for Dounreay, it is also the first pond at a Scottish nuclear facility to be decommissioned, and one of the first in the UK
Fast reactors light up nation's museum
12 December 2008
It featured on a postage stamp, is used by media worldwide to illustrate nuclear power and even was replicated in the shape of cigarette lighters.
Dounreay takes top business title in careers awards
09 December 2008
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has a won a top national award for its work with young people.
NDA competition for site licence company
08 December 2008
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority today announced its timetable for competing the ownership of Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd.
December issue of Dounreay News now published
03 December 2008
The December issue of the site's magazine, Dounreay News, has now been published. This month its a bumper 16-page edition.
October's site performance report is out now
03 December 2008
The site's performance report for October has been published.
Dounreay recognised for work with young people
28 November 2008
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has earned national recognition for helping young people in the north Highlands realise their full potential.
Local clubs benefit from apprentice walk
26 November 2008
Dounreay apprentices' annual sponsored walk from the site to Thurso has raised £1,350 for local charities and clubs.
TV viewers look inside historic plutonium cell
20 November 2008
Fifty years ago, it was the hub of plutonium research in the UK. Today, all that remains is a shell of a building awaiting demolition.
Preserving Dounreay's heritage attracts media interest
20 November 2008
Heritage officer James Gunn is getting used to being in the limelight.
Dounreay welcomes expert report on particles
19 November 2008
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd today welcomed an independent expert report about radioactive particles in the marine environment around the site.
Training move opens up new business opportunities
12 November 2008
Dounreay’s training and development team has become the first of its potential spin-out businesses to move off the site.
Site alert to signal Armistice Day commemoration
11 November 2008
Dounreay's site alert will be sounded briefly at 1100hrs on November 11 to enable workers to observe the two-minute silence in commemoration of Armistice Day, subject to normal safety considerations. It will be sounded briefly again at 1102hrs to signal the end of the two minutes.
Demolition of plutonium laboratory begins with stack
04 November 2008
Demolition has begun at the plutonium research laboratory with the removal of the building’s ventilation stack.
November's Dounreay News out now
03 November 2008
The November issue of the site's newspaper, Dounreay News, was published today.
September's Performance Report published
03 November 2008
Dounreay's latest monthly performance report has been published.
Fuel crushing plant dismantled
28 October 2008
Another legacy of Dounreay’s commercial fuel-reprocessing past has now been dismantled.
Cementation plant up and running again
16 October 2008
Dounreay’s cementation plant went back to work this year, following an extensive remediation programme.
Dounreay announces new Head of Human Resources
16 October 2008
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has announced a change to its senior management.
Largest lab comes apart
13 October 2008
Over a quarter of the laboratories in Dounreay’s Fuel Cycle Area, which provided support to the whole of the site, have now been taken apart.
Countdown to demolition for plutonium criticality laboratory
09 October 2008
The last ventilation fan has been turned off for the final time in what was once Dounreay’s dirtiest building.
Filter idea a crushing success
07 October 2008
Clever ideas are helping to improve ways of removing radioactive waste from some of Dounreay’s dirtiest plants.
Clean-up featured in 32-page colour tabloid
01 October 2008
More than 100 images of decommissioning work at Dounreay are featured in a 32-page, full-colour supplement published by North of Scotland Newspapers.
Drillers clear way for robots to begin fuel cells clean-up
01 October 2008
Workers are drilling through the concrete that surrounds Dounreay’s uranium fuel reprocessing plant to let demolition robots move inside and begin dismantling it.
Dounreay News published
29 September 2008
The October edition has been published of Dounreay News, the monthly site newspaper.
August performance report published
29 September 2008
Dounreay's latest monthly performance report has been published.
DSRL signs £13m contract with BNS Nuclear Services
29 September 2008
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has signed a contract with BNS Nuclear Services for maintenance and operations in support of decommissioning the site’s two fast reactors.
New programme manager for Dounreay
16 September 2008
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has announced the appointment of a new site programme manager, Andy Malkin, who succeeds Alastair Macdonald.
Jobs joy for 100 on major ventilation contract
11 September 2008
A hundred people have found work on the largest manufacturing job ever undertaken in the Highlands for Dounreay.
'Exercise Foxtrot' brings brigades together
11 September 2008
Firefighters from Highlands & Islands Fire & Rescue Service have tested their response to an incident at Dounreay in a joint exercise with members of the site fire brigade.
Dounreay reviews options for all wastes
10 September 2008
Dounreay is carrying out a review of how it manages all types of waste arising from the site closure programme.
Dounreay publishes 08/09 socio-economic plan
04 September 2008
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has published its socio-economic development plan for 2008/09, setting out the actions it is taking to manage the impact of site closure.
Site closure performance report published
03 September 2008
Dounreay's monthly performance report, setting out progress during July to decommission the site together with safety and environmental measures, has been published.
September issue of 'Dounreay News' published
01 September 2008
The September issue of the site newspaper, Dounreay News, has been published.
Seabed particle clean-up underway
26 August 2008
A new phase in the clean-up of Dounreay is underway with the start of underwater operations to demonstrate the use of remote equipment to remove particles from the seabed.
Dounreay's 1000th apprentice earns his "ticket"
25 August 2008
The 1000th young person to be taken on as an apprentice at Dounreay was among 15 newly-qualified workers who received their certificates at their site’s annual prize-giving.
Demolition of "atomic factory" broadcast via Internet
21 August 2008
>Demolition of Scotland’s “atomic factory” is now being broadcast on the Internet.
Challenge our ways of working, supply chain urged
20 August 2008
Dounreay’s supply chain has been urged to challenge established ways of working and come up with more innovative ways to decommission the site for less cost to the taxpayer.
Milestone in hazard reduction as liquid metal is destroyed
18 August 2008
A clean-up team has safely destroyed the first of the major hazards from the experimental fast reactor programme at Dounreay.
June performance report is published
06 August 2008
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has published its monthly performance report for June.
Companies invited to suppliers day
06 August 2008
Dozens of companies have signed up for a suppliers day event being held by Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd.
Peer reveals family connection to Dounreay
01 August 2008
Dounreay’s historic plutonium research laboratory, now in the final stages of clean up, is still attracting visitors keen to see the building before its demolition.
First stage of shaft clean-up project comes to an end
01 August 2008
At midday on Wednesday 30th July, the first phase of the project to clean up Dounreay’s historic waste shaft came to an end ahead of schedule with a handshake and signatures.
August issue of Dounreay News published today
01 August 2008
The August issue of the site's newspaper, Dounreay News, has been published.
Dounreay history brings windfall for charities
28 July 2008
Charities in Caithness and north Sutherland are set for a cash windfall thanks to a new book marking the 50th anniversary of the nuclear experiment at Dounreay.
Scottish Minister steps inside country's biggest nuclear clean-up
16 July 2008
Scottish Government Minister Richard Lochhead today visited Dounreay to see for himself how waste from the shutdown and clean-up of Scotland’s biggest nuclear site is being managed.
£50m plant will take breeder from fast reactor
15 July 2008
One of the biggest engineering jobs at Dounreay is nearing completion.
Charities benefit from Dounreay's safety awards
10 July 2008
Charities benefited to the tune of £2,000 from this year’s Dounreay Director’s Safety, Health and Environment awards.
Dounreay's pioneering history is retold in 50th anniversary book
09 July 2008
A new book captures the remarkable story of how a remote farming area in the Scottish Highlands was catapulted to the forefront of nuclear development 50 years ago.
Next steps to decommission Dounreay's Shaft
07 July 2008
Dounreay’s shaft isolation project is nearing completion so what happens next on one of the world’s biggest decommissioning projects?
2025 vision of Dounreay's waste is published
01 July 2008
Dounreay today paints the most vivid picture yet of how the site will look once decommissioning is complete in 2025.
Public meeting on low-level waste disposal plan
30 June 2008
Dounreay is inviting the public to attend a drop-in meeting to discuss its proposed low-level waste disposal facilities on Tuesday July 1 between 7pm and 9pm in Reay Village Hall.
French TV spotlight on site clean-up
30 June 2008
Dounreay’s clean-up and demolition is to feature in a 90-minute programme being made for broadcast on French and German television.
Book to tell 50 years of Dounreay
20 June 2008
The story of Dounreay, its leading role in the world quest for energy and its impact on the wellbeing of the far north of Scotland are all captured in a new book to be published next month.
World Environment Day celebrated at Dounreay
13 June 2008
What is the theme of the 2008 World Environment Day? In which city would you find the Spanish Steps?
Old reprocessing plant is broken up
13 June 2008
A decommissioning team is getting ready to begin breaking up the former research reactor fuel reprocessing plant at Dounreay.
Clean-up companies descend on Dounreay for trade show
06 June 2008
Dounreay has hosted the UK’s premier trade show for engineering equipment and services to the nuclear decommissioning industry.
Boreholes to test hydraulic isolation of shaft
05 June 2008
Another 21 boreholes have been drilled around the underground waste shaft at Dounreay.
Overhead travelling crane modernised to help clean up
04 June 2008
The 25 ton electric overhead travelling crane serving the Dounreay materials test reactor support building recently had a complete overhaul and update. This involved lifting the body of the crane out through the roof of the building.
Site safety record hits three million hours
03 June 2008
Dounreay has clocked up more than three million man-hours without a lost-time accident.
June issue of Dounreay News published
30 May 2008
The June issue of the site's newspaper Dounreay News has been published.
Clean-up contract goes to BNS Nuclear Services
29 May 2008
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd today announced its preferred bidder for a contract worth in the region of £13 million to support its decommissioning of the site’s two fast reactors.
Destruction of sodium vessels almost complete
29 May 2008
Work is well underway at the Janetstown off-site test facility near Thurso to remove clean sodium from an assortment of vessels that were stored on the Dounreay site.
Staff learn about skills and training opportunities
28 May 2008
Union reps, college lecturers and training staff came together at Dounreay to promote opportunities for workers to learn new skills and develop different careers.
Site publishes monthly performance report
28 May 2008
A new monthly performance report is published today by Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd.
Dounreay restarts LLW disposal planning application
23 May 2008
Dounreay Site Restoration Limited has requested Highland Council to restart the planning application process to build facilities for the disposal of low level radioactive waste from decommissioning the site.
New commercial head at Dounreay
21 May 2008
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has appointed Tom Cummings as its new head of commercial.
Historical water tank demolished
16 May 2008
Dounreay’s decommissioning team has knocked down one of the oldest structures on the site.
Dounreay to issue new performance report
15 May 2008
A new monthly performance report is to be published by Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd.
Workers are lifeblood of Dounreay
12 May 2008
None of us come to work expecting to save a life.
De-cladding operations a success
05 May 2008
Workers using remote technology are successfully dealing with the irradiated ‘breeder’ fuel elements from the Dounreay Fast Reactor.
Dounreay News May edition
01 May 2008
The May issue of the site's newspaper, Dounreay News, has been published. To read, click here
Director's Quarterly Report published
01 May 2008
The Director's Quarterly Report provides an update on the site's decomissioning, safety, environmental and general performance. It is produced for consideration at the Dounreay Stakeholder Group meetings.
Investigation into old diffuser complete
01 May 2008
The latest investigation of the seabed where the Dounreay effluent discharge systems are located was completed on April 22.
Welsh delegates learn from Caithness experience
01 May 2008
Staff from the Dounreay site met with representatives from Wales last week as part of a two day visit to Caithness to learn from the work carried out on regeneration of the community.
Works gets underway to develop strategy for site heritage
01 May 2008
Preserving the story of 50 years of research and development and the decommissioning challenges faced will be an important part of Caithness heritage for future generations.
Beth goes down in history
01 May 2008
Thurso High school pupil, Beth Henderson, is too young to be a part of the Dounreay story but she has contributed to preserving a little bit of the site\'s heritage for years to come.
Shaft waste shredder goes on trial
22 April 2008
Machinery that can shred steel and other material recovered from Dounreay’s shaft and silo has gone on trial at a test facility in Caithness.
Change at the top
22 April 2008
The site welcomes James Biggs who will take over responsibility for delivering essential site services to support the decommissioning programme.
Safer site earns £20k dividend for charity
18 April 2008
Dounreay’s improving safety performance has landed local charities a £20,000 windfall.
Plutonium clean-up enters final stages
17 April 2008
Work has started on the penultimate phase of cleaning out an old plutonium test cell that many people thought could never be decommissioned safely.
NDA confirms site funding
17 April 2008
Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd has received confirmation from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority of its funding arrangements for 2008/09.
Commissioner rules on nuclear storage information
17 April 2008
In March 2006, a journalist requested 11 documents from UKAEA that related to safety working parties and the arrangements for storage of nuclear and fissile materials at Dounreay.
NDA bosses see major hazard being destroyed
16 April 2008
The two men in charge of Britain's nuclear clean-up programme have seen how one of their biggest hazards is being destroyed at Dounreay.
Investigation at old diffuser continues
16 April 2008
Divers took to the sea on April 15 to investigate the old subsea diffuser system that was used to discharge radioactive effluent from Dounreay until 1998.
Dounreay staff learn from American experience
15 April 2008
Staff from Dounreay travelled to the USA to learn from the decommissioning and regeneration experiences of American nuclear decommissioning.
Drive-through building site keeps Dounreay open
11 April 2008
One of the most challenging projects carried out at Dounreay has involved not a drop of radioactive waste.
Grout curtain in place around shaft
10 April 2008
Astronaut visits Dounreay
07 April 2008
Dounreay folk were given an unique opportunity to hear former NASA space shuttle pilot Duane Carey when he came to the site recently to give a talk on his career and experiences in the space shuttle programme.
Particle clean-up trials successful
04 April 2008
Remotely-operated equipment designed to recover radioactive particles from the seabed has been demonstrated successfully offshore at Dounreay.
Safety milestone for waste team
02 April 2008
Dounreay's waste services unit has clocked up a remarkable two years without a lost-time accident.
Dounreay News April edition
01 April 2008
The April issue of the Dounreay News, the site's newspaper, has now been published.
New identity for site
01 April 2008
A new brand identity has been developed for Dounreay as part of its transition to a site licence company.
Technical media visit Dounreay
01 April 2008
A group of journalists with a special interest in nuclear decommissioning has visited Dounreay to see at first hand progress being made to clean up and demolish the experimental site.
DSRL becomes site licence company
01 April 2008
The management and contractual arrangements for delivery of the site clean-up programme at Dounreay change today.
Breakthroughs in Hazard Reduction
28 March 2008
UKAEA is on course to hand over the clean-up of Dounreay to a subsidiary company on April 1 on the back of significant progress during March to reduce the major hazards at the site.
Camera watches sodium drain from reactor
19 March 2008
Dounreay’s Prototype Fast Reactor has now been drained of all 1500 tonnes of liquid metal that once flowed through its primary and secondary circuits.
Gone in 90 seconds
30 January 2008
It's already been cut from 100 years to 25 years. Now, the timescale for cleaning up and knocking down Dounreay has been accelerated to just 90 seconds in a new video showing how the site will look when decommissioning is complete.
Local firm awarded major contract
17 January 2008
Local engineering firm JGC Engineering & Technical Services Ltd has been awarded a major contract vital to the environment and decommissioning of the Dounreay site.
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