Jacobs to support UK nuclear facility refurbishment

JACOBS has been awarded an estimated £10m (US$11.4) contract to act as a full lifecycle delivery partner, supporting renewal projects at various facilities run by the UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL).

NNL is a nuclear services technology provider covering the whole nuclear fuel cycle. Its facilities support new reactor builds and existing reactor operations, as well as decommissioning, cleanup, and fuel processing plants, and handling and services for nuclear material.

The scope of the contract includes design, build, and refurbishment work at Windscale and Central Laboratories at Sellafield in Cumbria, a specialist analytical services and process chemistry facility in Preston, and a test-rig centre in Workington. Jacobs is responsible for: requirements definition; project specification; concept, preliminary and detailed design; procurement; and installation.

The initial term of the contract is one year, with the option for three additional one-year extensions.

Karen Wiemelt, Senior VP of Energy, Security, and Technology at Jacobs said: "This work will help ensure that the UK's advanced nuclear research and development capability remains world-class. We will draw on our deep knowledge of nuclear engineering design and our decades-long experience of operating our own 12,000 m² complex of laboratories and test rigs in Warrington."

David Beacham, Chief Customer Officer at NNL, said: "It's crucial that we continue to invest in our laboratories to meet our stakeholders’ needs as well as wider industry ambitions and to perform our role as the national laboratory for nuclear fission. Our people and facilities are our most important assets, so this project will continue to protect and create highly skilled jobs in the northwest of England."