A NUCLEAR site at Capenhurst has now been fully transferred to the private sector after 60 years.
Transition started in December 2011, when the site’s owner, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), signed agreements with URENCO.
On Friday the transition of Sellafield Ltd activities to Capenhurst Nuclear Services (CNS), a URENCO Group company, was complete.
Under the deal, Capenhurst Nuclear Services (CNS), a URENCO Group company, will take ownership of the land, combining it with an adjacent former uranium enrichment site it already owns, creating one nuclear licensed site.
It is a major milestone for Capenhurst, the location of the former diffusion plant site.
Capenhurst has now largely completed the remediation of the legacy site, delivering some of the biggest active area demolition projects undertaken in the UK industry.
This allowed the transfer of the activities carried out by Sellafield Ltd Capenhurst to CNS, which will continue the important work of waste characterisation, recycling and disposal in addition to maintaining the safe storage of uranic materials including Magnox depleted uranium and depleted uranium hexafluoride.
Nick Welch, head of Sellafield Ltd Capenhurst, said: “The good work and co-operation between Sellafield Ltd, URENCO, the NDA and regulators has taken the project to a safe transfer.
“This is in the best interests of the staff and companies concerned, and will result in cash savings to the UK taxpayer.”
Mike Baily, deputy head of Sellafield Ltd Capenhurst, said: “The successful decommissioning programme at Capenhurst has resulted in a site capable of continuing safe, long-term storage as part of its continuing future use as a nuclear licensed site.”
