£7m contract to demolish Scotland's oldest reactor
A contract to demolish Scotland's oldest operational nuclear reactor is expected to be awarded later this year.
The Dounreay Materials Test Reactor (DMTR) achieved criticality, a nuclear term referring to the balance of neutrons in the system, in 1958. The site at Dounreay nuclear power complex, near Thurso, was built using 600 tonnes of steel. It was shut down in 1969. Five companies are bidding for the three-year, £7m contract. Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) said support facilities for the DMTR had been demolished, clearing the way for work to begin on the reactor. The entire Dounreay site is in the process of being decommissioned. An interim end state, when the decommissioning work has been completed, is expected to be reached between 2030 and 2033.