BABCOCK TEAM OFFICIALLY TAKES OVER DOUNREAY CLEANUP

Babcock Dounreay Partnership—made up of Babcock Nuclear Services Ltd, CH2M Hill and URS Holdings (UK) Ltd.—officially took over responsibility for the decommissioning of the Dounreay site in the United Kingdom yesterday. Last fall, Babcock Dounreay Partnership was selected as the preferred bidder in the competition to take ownership of Dounreay Site Restoration Limited after a two-year public procurement process. The completion of the transfer of shares to Babcock Dounreay Partnership marks “a significant milestone” for the U.K. Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Chairman Stephen Henwood said in a statement. “Not only have we successfully gained a world-class parent body to take ownership of DSRL which will continue to oversee the last and arguably the most difficult stages of decommissioning Dounreay, but we have also been able to reduce the decommissioning period by potentially up to 16 years, from 2038 to as early as 2022 representing savings to the UK economy well in excess of £1 billion,” Henwood said.