Dounreay pushes forward plans to build new 37-metre-high stack at reactor
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Dounreay's operators are looking to clear the way to progress long-delayed plans to replace the discharge stack at the site's prototype fast reactor.
Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) is seeking Highland Council's agreement to approve a design for the system to vent authorised emissions of gases, including radionuclides.
Last year, it awarded a £7 million contract to US conglomerate Jacobs to carry out the work.
Concrete foundations and a steel framework would support the proposed new 37-metre high stack which would house a plant room containing an extract fan, filter units, stack sampling and control panels.
The contract involves removal of the existing vent and the design, manufacturing, testing, installation and commissioning of its replacement.
The new stack is earmarked to go up on the seaward side of the reactor and be in place by October 2024.
Planning permission for a very similar project was granted in 2009 but expired due to delays with the project.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is happy that an environmental impact assessment is not needed.
A spokesman said: "We are aware of the proposed development through engagement with the developer.
"It will require a variation to their Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018 permit.
"It will be regulated by us and we will ensure discharge limits are set so that people and the environment are protected."
A DRSL spokesperson said: "The purpose of this work is to ensure that these systems can continue to provide a reliable service throughout the remainder of PFR’s decommissioning programme and also to ensure that we remain compliant with the site's discharge regulations."
Designed in the early 1960s, the sodium-cooled fast reactor began operating in 1975 and was shut down in 1994.
