Following a successful contract relationship between UKAEA and RWE NUKEM Ltd. to provide operational and decommissioning services for Building A59 (a post-irradiation examination facility) at UKAEA Winfrith, additional major tasks under the WOMAD (Winfrith Operations, Maintenance, and Decommissioning) Project were competitively won by RWE NUKEM. The WOMAD Project advances implementation of the overall environmental remediation mission for the UKAEA Winfrith site. This paper describes the four main parts of the WOMAD Project at Winfrith that are being conducted by RWE NUKEM. The WOMAD Project consists of the following tasks: 1. Care and maintenance of the two large nuclear reactors SGHWR and DRAGON. 2. Operation of Building A59 for 1 year followed by decommissioning and demolition. 3. Conditioning and immobilization of ～350,000 litres of radioactive sludge in 500-litre drums followed by demolition of the sludge storage tanks. 4. Refurbishment of a storage facility and emplacement of the drummed waste. These tasks are performed by RWE NUKEM and the overall project is managed by UKAEA within the constraints imposed by the site licensee. The work is being implemented via a contract with RWE NUKEM using the New Engineering Contracts (NEC) suite of contracts (Options A and C) as established by the Institution of Civil Engineers. This framework was chosen because it facilitates good project management practices and encourages a team approach. This strategy has been taken to heart within the project and many joint initiatives are being used to develop an effective team that is working toward a common goal. In the relatively short time since contract award (March 2000), decommissioning in Building A59 is currently ahead of schedule and a number of technical hurdles have been overcome. The new facility for processing the external active sludge tank (EAST) wastes has been designed, planning permission has been obtained, and construction has begun. The first phase of safety submittals was also completed, and a Stage 2 Letter of Comfort was obtained from UK Nirex following a series of small-scale active development tasks. This presentation will feature current progress regarding schedule, cost, and quality aspects and will be an update on the position given to the IMechE Decommissioning Conference in 2001 and the IBC Decommissioning Conference in 2002.
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