Friday 4 November 2016

NNL enjoyed great success at the latest annual Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) Estate Supply Chain Awards.

The awards are held to recognise the vital contribution of suppliers to the UK’s nuclear clean-up mission. The ceremony was among the highlights of the NDA Estate Supply Chain Event, held in Manchester on Thursday 3rd November.

NNL won the ‘Technology/Innovation Implementation Award’ alongside partners Westinghouse and its subsidiary Fauske and customer Sellafield Ltd. The award was made for:

‘MSSS Reactive Materials – A Paradigm Shift in the Management of Nuclear Waste’

NNL’s Encapsulation Processes Specialist Hugh Godfrey was on hand to collect the prize at the ceremony with Andy Lund, Customer Account Manager (Westinghouse) and Stephen Kane, MSSS Stream Technical Manager (Sellafield Ltd). 

The Technology/Innovation Implementation Award is made to suppliers working collaboratively with nuclear Site Licence Companies to achieve benefits from innovation.

The Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS) is among the UK’s highest hazard facilities. It was constructed in the 1960s and has been used to store a variety of wastes derived from Magnox fuel reprocessing at Sellafield.

The approach to decommissioning of the MSSS has been very challenging. NNL and Fauske collaborated closely to improve the understanding of the chemical behaviour of waste stored in the MSSS. The results of the work have led to significant changes in decommissioning strategy. These changes will result in faster waste retrieval, hazard reduction and an estimated cost saving of over £1 billion.

Commenting on the Awards, judging panel Chair Ron Gorham, NDA’s Head of Supply Chain Optimisation said: “Our suppliers play a critical role in delivering timely, cost-effective decommissioning across our sites and we are delighted to acknowledge their vital contribution.

“These awards celebrate the commitment of our supply chain and the value they bring on a daily basis.”

To mark a very memorable day on 3rd November, NNL and Sellafield Ltd were also successful with the same project at the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) Awards, this time in the Energy category.

In October, the project won yet another prize at the Sellafield Ltd Annual Business Excellence Awards, where it won the Waste Management category.

At the NDA Estate Supply Chain Awards, Stockport based Omniflex won in the ‘SME Innovation Award’ category. This is an accolade specifically for smaller businesses. The innovation can be a new product/process or adaptation of technology from other non-nuclear market, bringing benefits and savings.

Working for and with NNL at the Windscale Laboratory, Omniflex designed, built and installed a replacement radiological monitoring system of 130 instruments to a tight timescale while ensuring full plant availability during the works.

NNL’s Head of Technology Commercialisation Paul Collings celebrated with Gary Bradshaw, Director of Omniflex.

Congratulations to all winners on a well-deserved series of awards.