Fact Finding Visit to Dounreay Site
West Cumbria and Caithness, Scotland share many challenges as new businesses are needed to regenerate the economies of these areas where the largest part of the nuclear industry is being decommissioned. To determine best practice, and look for opportunities for the regions to work together Steve Bradley and Rick Wylie have just completed a fact finding visit north of the border.
After visits to the Sustainable Development Research Centre in Forres, the UHI Millenium Institute (creating the University of the Highlands and islands) in Inverness, the Decommissioning and Environmental Remediation Centre and Environmental Research Institute in Thurso, Steve and Rick had opportunity to compare the progress and challenges of decommissioning at Dounreay with that at Sellafield.
Westlakes Research Institute has a well developed Higher Education portfolio directed to nuclear decommissioning and, through knowledge transfer and business enterprise activities in WRI and the example of new business delivered by Westlakes Scientific Consulting Ltd in West Cumbria, there are many opportunities to demonstrate 'best practice'. Dounreay site director, Norman Harrison was enthusiastic about a comparative assessment of the economic, environmental and social implications of decommissioning at Sellafield and Dounreay.
Rick Wylie, far left and Steve Bradley, far right, in one of the decommissioned active plants on the Dounreay site, with UKAEA's Mark Liddiard and Alan Scullion