A £7 million contract to remove the Dounreay Materials Test Reactor (DMTR) structure is expected to be awarded later this year.

A total of five companies are in the running to secure the three-year deal, which is being awarded following the successful conclusion of work to remove a host of support facilities associated with Dounreay's oldest reactor.

Radioactive facilities such as a cooling pond, storage compound and examination cells have now been safely stripped out, while the final demolition also included removing a 27-tonne crane and several hundred pieces of cladding.

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Project Manager, Bill Lambie, said: "The final demolition of this complex is a significant achievement for all of those involved and represents a major step towards the ultimate removal of Scotland's oldest operational reactor. This was an area of the site with a highly radioactive inventory, large waste volumes and defunct plant and equipment.

"Now, due to the commitment and professionalism of the team, we have dealt with those hazards by applying innovation while keeping safety as the number one priority. This has been a team effort between Dounreay staff and a number of highly-experienced contractors including Nuvia, GDES, Matom and JGC Engineering."

On the £7m DMRT structure removal contract to be awarded this year, Mr Lambie added: "This is the first of three reactors that will be removed as part of the contract to decommission Dounreay. The knowledge, experience and skills gained by the team in the last decade will help other projects at the site as well as further afield."

(LM/MH)