Delivering the safe clean-up and demolition of the UK's former centre of fast reactor research on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Site Closure

Our objective in decommissioning Dounreay is to close down the site and leave it in a safe condition for future generations.

The completion of decommissioning is known as the "interim end state" - the point when all the redundant buildings have been cleaned out and demolished and the radioactive waste made safe for long-term storage or disposal.

Over the last decade, the forecast date for completion of this work accelerated from 2063 to 2025.

In 2012, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority signed a contract with a consortium of Babcock, CH2MHILL and URS to complete the closure of the site by 2022-25.

There will be a continuing need to manage the site beyond the "interim end state". This includes higher activity waste that will be looked after "near site, near surface" beyond 2025.

The "end state" for the site is the condition it will be left in for future generations. This was the subject of public consultation.

In March 2013 Dounreay published the new Site Closure Programme.

Another issue of public interest is the impact on the local economy of site closure, with the workforce expect to drop to a few tens of people upon completion.

This section of the website contains more information about this and other important issues arising from the closure of Dounreay.

See our News Room to read the latest news stories.

See Dounreay TV to view the latest film footage

 

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Decommissioning is complete when all redundant facilities have been demolished and wastes made safe for long-term storage or disposal

Image: The seawater pump house at DFR is demolished

The seawater pump house at DFR is demolished

Image: Fuel fabrication plant is demolished

Fuel fabrication plant is demolished

Image: Demolition of DMTR administration buildings in March 2006

Demolition of DMTR administration buildings in March 2006