CONSTRUCTION work is progressing on the new waste treatment facility at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority's (UKAEA) Winfrith site in a £4.5m flagship project for local engineering businesses.

UKAEA and its contractor RWE NUKEM will manage the facility.

Some £3m worth of contracts have gone to local specialist companies. UKAEA's project manager Andy Staples said: "We are fortunate at Winfrith to have an excellent local and regional pool of engineering expertise to keep this major investment in the surrounding area."

H Jones Division of Kier Regional from Havant is constructing the new building to house equipment that will treat radioactive waste from the site's steam-generating heavy water reactor that closed in 1990.

Southampton-based VT, normally associated with shipbuilding, is manufacturing and installing drum-handling equipment in the new concrete cell.

This equipment includes heavy-duty transport trolleys; steel shield doors and specialist drum lifters. Another Southampton firm Chesim Engineering, is helping them with detailed design and prototype work. Local subcontractors are providing mechanical and electrical equipment. Work is expected to be completed by this December or January next year.

Until 1990 Winfrith was used for research into the UK civil nuclear power programme and its heavy water reactor supplied electricity to the national grid for 23 years.

UKAEA is focused on decommissioning and restoring the environment and plans over the next decade to decontaminate, demolish or remodel for commercial use nearly all of the remaining nuclear facilities.

Winfrith continues to advance towards further delicensing and disposal for unrestricted use.

During the next decade, nearly all the site buildings containing radioactive facilities will be decontaminated and demolished or remodelled for commercial purposes. The western end of the site is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its natural flora and fauna and will not be developed.