Trio sign £3bn Sellafield infrastructure contract

Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, Costain, and Hochtief will make up the Infrastructure Delivery Partnership, which is set to support essential services for the nuclear plant’s decommissioning.

Sellafield’s IDP provides a strategy for electricity distribution, water, road, and rail networks, bridges, foundations, and security installations at the plant.

The three firms have signed a nine-year initial contract worth a combined £2.9m, with an option for a further six years through to 2040 to ensure the site has the required infrastructure for its decommission.

Morgan Sindall Infrastructure has signed on for a contract worth approximately £1.3bn to become the principal electrical distribution partner and will complete detailed design with all procurement, installation, construction, commissioning, and handover activities that form part of project delivery.

The builder will be supported by design partners Baker Hicks and GHD.

Costain has been confirmed as the utilities delivery partner, signing a £1bn deal.

The infrastructure company will be responsible for programs concerning water, energy, and transportation.

Costain will replace a range of off-site utility distribution systems, including steam, water supply, water treatment, compressed gas, and other essentials serving Sellafield.

Arup has been appointed by Costain as a key supply chain partner.

Hochtief, having signed a £595m contract, is to deliver a major nuclear and civils work framework.

James Riddick, chief supply chain officer of Sellafield, said the IDP is crucial to safely and cost-effectively deal with the legacy of historic operations at the site.

“To do this, we need robust and reliable infrastructure to support our nuclear decommissioning and waste management activities.

“IDP is a long-term strategic partnership designed to provide support while unlocking investment and opportunities for our local community and delivering sustainable value for money to the taxpayer.” He said.

The contracts include commitments to create a sustainable local community in west Cumbria, as set out in Sellafield’s Social Impact Strategy.

Simon Smith, managing director of Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, said: “We have been delivering in west Cumbria for over 15 years, and we are delighted to build on this further with the award of the IDP.

“This long-term programme is not only significant for Sellafield and its decommissioning programme, but we know first-hand the benefits to local communities and the region from an award of this nature.”

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Alex Vaughan, chief executive officer of Costain, said the contract demonstrated the engineer’s commitment to its “strategy of developing long-term relationships with tier one customers”, building strong and collaborative partnerships, broadening its services offering, and maintaining consistency and continuity of workflows.

He added: “This long-term award further demonstrates our integral position in the UK’s civil nuclear energy market. As one of Sellafield’s trusted partners, we will deliver safe, high-quality utilities upgrades in a complex working environment.”

Juan Santamaria Cases, chief executive of Hochtief, commented: “Hochtief has an unbroken legacy in the nuclear sector since the 1950s and is a trusted partner in engineering and construction for some of the world’s most critical nuclear programmes.

“The award [of the contract] builds on Hochtief’s expanding portfolio of long-term delivery contracts with globally significant clients across the nuclear and infrastructure sectors.”

Nathan Woods, industrial solutions technical director at GDH, said: “I am extremely proud that GHD, along with Baker Hicks, has been named as design partner for Morgan Sindall Infrastructure on the IDP framework.

This design partnership is the culmination of over 15 years of past and present UK team members, delivering multi-faceted engineering projects for UK nuclear duty holders.”

Ann-Marie Cowperthwaite, associate director at Arup, commented: “Arup’s knowledge of the site, combined with our extensive expertise in process and mechanical engineering, enables us to plan for an extensive range of scenarios and complex system interdependencies.

“This will help assure all the right conditions for all the different utility elements of the site are maintained, thereby enabling Sellafield to operate the site with greater safety, security, and confidence.

“A project of this duration also creates a crucial opportunity for local upskilling and training opportunities, fostering long-term workforce development.

“We look forward to working alongside Costain and other partners to provide integrated solutions throughout the site as well as career development opportunities for the next generation of engineers.”

While the Sellafield plant is being decommissioned, plans are being worked up alongside the government to bring forward clean power with small modular nuclear reactors, also known as ‘mini nukes’, over 600 acres nearby.

Sellafield is owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and has not generated nuclear power since 2003.