Costain wins contract to upgrade Capenhurst uranium enrichment site

Urenco Capenhurst

COSTAIN has won a contract from Urenco to engineer new and upgraded infrastructure at its Capenhurst site in Cheshire, UK.

Costain expects the deal will see it awarded contracts over at least three years to lead and deliver the design, procurement, construction, and commissioning of works and infrastructure upgrades at Capenhurst.

Urenco operates three enrichment plants at Capenhurst that produce fuel for nuclear power stations. Costain said it will work with local partners to deliver the contract, creating jobs and developing skills.

Sam White, managing director of natural resources at Costain, said: “Ensuring the supply of safe, low-carbon electricity is critical for creating a sustainable future. We’re bringing decades of experience in predictable, best-in-class delivery to help safeguard the UK’s energy security and support the transition to more sustainable energy generation.”

Last year, the UK government awarded £196m (US$244m) to Urenco to add a high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) facility to rival Russian and Chinese production of fuel for advanced reactors, though this work is not included in Costain’s new partner framework contract.

The new HALEU facility is expected to support around 400 highly skilled jobs and produce up to 10 t/y of HALEU by 2031.

Correction: the original version of this article incorrectly stated that Costain is involved in delivering the uranium enrichment upgrades.