How Sellafield clean up has become one of North's biggest infrastructure projects - Richard Lennard

At Sellafield Ltd, we are responsible for creating a clean and safe environment for future generations at Sellafield, which means safely reducing the UK’s hazard remains our number one priority.

Not many people know that in doing this, Sellafield has become a major infrastructure programme in the north, comparable to that of Hinkley Point C, HS2, Thames Tideway and Crossrail.

With an annual £2.3 billion budget, Sellafield Ltd has a responsibility to ensure that the site continues its clean-up work safely and securely, using innovative techniques through skilled workforce and supply chain.

Our 11,000 strong workforce is joined by more than 40,000 people from a diverse supply chain, from small businesses to global market leaders. We need this diversity of thinking, of backgrounds, cultures and experiences.

Ensuring everyone’s voice is heard is crucial to our success and in making Sellafield a truly great place to work.

At the core of how we deliver value is our ability to clean up the site, including building the new facilities that allow us to safely empty ponds and silos, manage the waste and store it safely for decades to come, helping Sellafield achieve its purpose to create a clean and safe environment for future generations.

We are currently investing in one of the largest portfolios of complex major projects in the country, creating the facilities we need as we move from nuclear reprocessing to focus on decommissioning.

We are connecting with other large infrastructure programmes, knowing that we can do more as a collective to stimulate growth in the north and across the UK.

Our investment in new facilities is seeing Sellafield Ltd spend close to £500m per year on construction for the next 10 years and beyond. This long-term investment provides an opportunity to delivery far more than just the physical assets, it’s an opportunity to create a legacy.

To enable this, we have committed to long term contracts with our supply chain partners to give them confidence in our commitment and a platform to invest in localised solutions designed to generate enterprise and growth in the north.

One of the improvements we have made is developing an industry leading new approach to how we deliver projects with the supply chain – the Programme and Project Partners.

The partnership brings together KBR, Jacobs, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, Altrad Babcock and Sellafield Ltd, as one team, to deliver a 20-year pipeline of major infrastructure projects.

PPP is an unparalleled opportunity to deliver up to £7 billion of critical national infrastructure, differently, using a 20-year partnership.

Last year Sellafield Ltd spent £1.32 billion with our supply chain, and more than a third of that was with SMEs. Around 280 apprentices and graduates join Sellafield Ltd each year to ensure we have the diverse skills essential for delivery today and vital to economic resilience tomorrow.

There is a huge amount of pride in the value of the work we deliver on the site, to our region and to the country; through creating economic growth in our supply chain, by providing direct and indirect employment, and by supporting the country’s energy supply.

In everything we do, we’re ensuring the public funding we’re entrusted with has economic and social impact in our communities.

Richard Lennard is Client Director for Major Projects at Sellafield Ltd, a sponsor of the Great Northern Conference.