Balfour Beatty and Cavendish secure £160m Sellafield contract

A JOINT venture between Balfour Beatty and Cheshire-based Cavendish Nuclear has picked up a £160m contract at Sellafield.

The 45/55 venture will build a new silo maintenance facility to help handle old nuclear waste.

The reinforced concrete structure will cover a 1.2-acre area and be 25 metres high. Robotic equipment will be installed to enable staff to manage the waste.

A team of more than 100 engineers including nuclear specialists, civil and structural engineers and architectural technicians is now working on the design. Work is due to complete in autumn 2017, and the project will employ more than 300 people.

Balfour Beatty’s chairman Steve Marshall said: “The UK infrastructure market includes significant opportunities for nuclear decommissioning and clean-up activities. Similarly, new nuclear build and the construction of new power generation projects will bring us an opportunity to deploy our extensive experience.”

Cavendish has offices in Warrington and Chester.