Hillsborough firm secures £100m nuclear contract

The firm, which moved into its new HQ just over a year ago, has been named as preferred contractor by Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd (DSRL) ahead of five other companies to develop the facility at the UK former centre of fast reactor research and development.

The site was formerly home to some of the UK's top scientists and engineers who worked on research projects to develop nuclear energy for electricity production, but as plans for the next generation of reactors are drawn up, Dounreay is now Scotland's largest nuclear clean-up and demolition project.

A privately owned firm trading for well over 200 years, Graham now has offices in Scotland, England and the Republic of Ireland operating across construction, public private partnership investments and asset management.

"We are delighted to be announced as preferred bidder on this contract," said Graham construction director Leo Martin.

"This is a very important project for us, in a market sector which we are looking to expand into further. We are very much looking forward to delivering this important project for DSRL."

Subject to NDA approval and completion of a number of procedures, the contract award is expected by the end of March.

It is an essential part of the infrastructure needed to complete the de-commissioning and closure of the former nuclear research site.

The contract is for the design and construction of two sub-surface vaults for the disposal of solid low-level radioactive waste from the site clean-up. It will be based on target cost design and build contract.

DSRL has planning consent for up to six vaults adjacent to the site but hopes to reduce the number that need to be built through waste minimisation practices in decommissioning.

Up to 100 jobs will be created during the construction phase, with a quarter of the work expected to be sub-contracted to local companies. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority will invest up to 4 million in a community benefit fund associated with the development

Subject to regulatory and other consents, construction is scheduled to begin in autumn 2011 and take two years to complete. The lifetime cost of the development is expected to be in the region of 100m.