UK Awards Aureos Contract Worth Up to £190 Million for Dungeness A Nuclear Site Work

Nuclear Restoration Services has selected UK engineering company Aureos for a decommissioning contract worth up to £190 million at the former Dungeness A nuclear power station in Kent, the government announced on October 28.

The contract covers the next major phase of dismantling work, including removal of eight boiler units weighing approximately 800 tonnes each, together with associated equipment and infrastructure. Four years of preparatory work preceded the planned removal. The units will be moved using a specialised jack-and-slide system, according to the operator.

Dungeness A generated electricity between 1965 and 2006 and subsequently entered decommissioning. The site has already completed removal of its nuclear fuel. The newly awarded contract is for dismantling large remaining structures, not restarting power generation.

Nuclear Restoration Services said Aureos was selected through a competitive process assessing technical capability, cost, project delivery and social value. The contractor is expected to work with regulators and local stakeholders as the work proceeds.

When the phase is complete, the operator expects about one-third of the site's above-ground structures to have been removed, reducing future maintenance requirements. The £190 million figure is an upper contract value, not an amount already spent or a final verified cost.

The award is a substantive step in the site's long-running cleanup programme. It does not mean that the decommissioning process as a whole has been completed.