Nuvia Group
The Ministry of Defence commissioned NUVIA UK to support the decommissioning of it’s nuclear submarine fleet. The MOD required a suitable container for transporting a range of radioactive items on public highways.
Client: UK Ministry of Defence
General Contracthor: NUVIA UK
Country: Scotland, UK
Services provided
– Transport Package Design
– Licensing and Build.
Dismantling of the UK’s decommissioned nuclear submarine fleet is underway, and the Ministry of Defence required a suitable container for transporting a range of radioactive items from UK Naval Dockyards to interim storage at Capenhurst Nuclear Site.
Long term storage, for up to 100 years, was the preferred approach before reprocessing and being transferred to a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF).
The Ministry of Defence commissioned NUVIA UK to support the decommissioning of it’s nuclear submarine fleet. The MOD required a suitable container for transporting a range of radioactive items on public highways.
The scope of works comprised the provision of a top-loading primary components transport container with a combined transport and storage lid with a 100-year design life.
Using 30 years of transport package fleet experience, NUVIA UK designed a bespoke container – from concept through to build.
The project requires close management of numerous stakeholders across the dismantling and storage programme lifecycle, of which NUVIA have been at the nucleus driving the delivery forward.
NUVIA have a long standing and professional relationship with the UK Competent Authorities (transport regulatory bodies) which allow us to pre-empt their concerns and how to best resolve them in a timely manner, in coordination with the customer.
NUVIA completed the design with the tough constraints of the international IAEA SSR-6 regulations for transport of radioactive material, while also keeping in the mass and height limitations of STGO 3 for transportation on public roads.
The project undertaken in close collaboration with the numerous programme stakeholders across the UK, involving the regulator from early on in the project, to drive this closely scrutinised programme of decommissioning forward. It is an innovation, as a world first in decommissioning in this manner.
Utilising Nuvia’s expert transport package team, this project has driven the overall decommissioning programme forward. By setting expectations and boundaries to the design from the outset, the programme team are well informed of the ITP’s capabilities and how they are to interface with it.
