THE PILE FUEL STORAGE PONDS (PFSP) at Sellafield are among the most challenging nuclear decommissioning projects in Europe. Following the completion of a key stage in the removal of larger solid wastes from the ponds, a new dewatering and descaling project can now begin. The project requires two handling systems to reach hard-to-access parts of the PFSP's structure, and to avoid potential collisions with existing lifting equipment. Procured for Sellafield via Cumbria Nuclear Solutions (CNSL), SCX Special Projects engineered two single girder cranes, each tailored to the ponds' existing infrastructure and the task of enabling the next phase of decommissioning at the PFSP facility. A 2t MOTS (Modified Off The Shelf) crane with a bespoke extending, cantilevered bridge reaches into the numerous recesses along the pond's wall. And a 4t COTS+ (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) crane equipped with collision avoidance technology shares the same rails as the existing 12t pond crane.Speaking about the background to the project Stuart Robson, technical sales engineer, SCX, says Sellafield established the Decommissioning Delivery Partnership (DDP) in 2016 as a framework to deliver its substantial decommissioning and land remediation challenge. Originally planned to run for five years, in 2021 the DDP was extended by a further five years to 2026.
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