'Significant, tangible benefits' expected at Dounreay for years to come, says Caithness business chief
Dounreay is expected to provide "significant, tangible benefits" to the area for years to come. That was said by Trudy Morris, chief executive of the Caithness Chamber of Commerce, after a report revealed the total spend at the site in 2022/23 was over £200 million.
She described Dounreay as "vitally important" to the county and north Highlands and stressed it employs more than 1200 people and supports 700 on-site contract workers along with "a network of sophisticated local supply chain businesses" involved in decommissioning the nuclear plant.
Ms Morris was speaking after the publication by Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) Dounreay of its socio-economic annual review. It highlighted the site’s impact as a major employer and buyer of goods and services. There was a total spend of £202.4 million with £113.5 million going to the supply chain. Almost £1 in every £3 spent with the supply chain went to SME's (small and medium-sized enterprises) with 12 of the top 20 suppliers having a local base in the area.
In 2022, Dounreay had 1,283 employees with 96 per cent of them living locally.
Ms Morris said:"For many years, Dounreay has brought highly skilled, well-paid jobs to the local area, supported apprenticeships and graduate opportunities and provided substantial, tangible benefits to the local community through its socio-economic activity. The report highlights that in 2022/23 Dounreay committed £487,807 in socio economic grant funding. The total funding committed during this period, on a multi-year basis, was £1,443,988 which leveraged an additional £1,433,806 from other public and private sector partners demonstrating how significant and important Dounreay is as a social and economic enabler. "
She added: "We expect to see Dounreay’s revised lifetime plan launched this year and hope that this will result in increased local SME spend compared to previous years and a continuation of the significant, tangible benefits brought to the local area through Dounreay’s socio-economic activity for some years to come."
Struan Mackie, chairman of the Dounreay Stakeholder Group and a Thurso and northwest Caithness Highland councillor, said: "The report clearly demonstrates the significant impact of the Dounreay site and the nuclear industry at large in the far north.
"Not only is the Dounreay site one of the region's largest employers, the site and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority have a strong track record of investing significantly into the local community.
"We know that procuring within the local supply chain jobs supports local firms and local employment, in turn allowing supply chain companies to provide future diversified opportunities for our people."
He added: "The Dounreay Stakeholder Group regularly monitors the progress of both site decommissioning and the socio-economic impacts of the nuclear industry. While we welcome this report, we believe even more value can be extracted from the site in the coming years and we support any efforts to further integrate local firms into the site's soon-to-be-published lifetime plan."
Davie Alexander, the DSG vice-chairman, said: "This report once again highlights the importance of the site to our area. In such challenging times with the economy at large, it is good to have a reasonably upbeat annual report."
The annual review also highlights the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) investment in the area with a three-year, £3 million commitment to Sutherland Spaceport, an ongoing commitment of around £4 million to Nucleus in Wick, supporting 68 jobs in Caithness, and a three year, £487,000 funding package for the Focus North Partnership aimed at economic development enabling activity.
In total, targeted NDA and Dounreay socio economic activity in Caithness and north Sutherland committed around £8.4m in socio-economic funding which leveraged £29.9 million in additional private and public sector investment.
David Calder, head of sustainability and socio economics at NRS Dounreay, said: "This report highlights that decommissioning activity at the Dounreay site continues to be an important major social and economic enabler in the Caithness and north Sutherland area and beyond. NDA and NRS Dounreay commitment to creating a positive legacy today and in the future in partnership with other public and private sector organisations continues to leverage investment, develop capability and create opportunity. It’s the vision, dedication and passion in the organisations and projects we support that continues to make our area a great place to live, work and invest."
The full report can be viewed on the NRS Dounreay website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-dounreay-socio-economic-annual-review-2022-to-2023.
