Why Sellafield has become one of UK's busiest construction hubs: Andy Sharples

With an annual £2.3 billion budget funded by the UK government, Sellafield Ltd (on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority) has a responsibility to ensure that the site continues its 100-year clean-up work safely and securely, using innovative techniques through skilled workforce and supply chain.

But decommissioning does not mean shutdown.

In fact, the company is now firmly establishing itself as a leader in infrastructure delivery, with one of the UK’s busiest construction hubs with a £7bn portfolio of complex major infrastructure projects, spanning two decades.

These new-build facilities will allow the emptying of legacy waste stores by safely treating and storing radioactive material for decades to come.

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.

A challenge of this scale has required an approach that is far from business as usual.

To enable this, we have committed to long term contracts with our supply chain partners, having developed an industry leading new approach to how we deliver projects with the supply chain – the Programme and Project Partners (PPP) model.

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.

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 more than 100 years of work ahead at the site, it is generating growth and employment in Cumbria, the North-West of England and beyond.

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 to succeed.

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, an opportunity to create a legacy.

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 supply partners range from global market leaders to small businesses.

We need this diversity of thinking, of backgrounds, cultures, and experiences.

Having this skills mix is crucial to our success and when paired with some of the most exciting projects in the country, this is what is making Sellafield a truly great place to work.

Andy Sharples is Projects Director at Sellafield Ltd. Sellafield Limited is one of the sponsors for this year’s Great Northern Conference event, which is taking place in Bradford on September 11. For more information, visit www.nationalworldevents.com/gnc-2023