Major projects progress leads to milestone for SIXEP Continuity Plant
One of our largest projects achieves major delivery milestone.
The bespoke stainless-steel vessels were manufactured at Bendalls Engineering.
The new build SIXEP Continuity Plant (SCP) at Sellafield has achieved a major delivery milestone completing the manufacture and initial testing of 2 large pressure vessels.
Once operational, the plant will contain 7 of the bespoke stainless-steel vessels which help to treat liquid waste, acting as the ‘kidneys’ of the Sellafield site filtering out nuclear material before being safely discharged to sea.
Once manufactured, the vessels were loaded into a purpose-built rig to undergo a series of initial operating tests.
Manufacturing the 2 vessels, loading them into the rig, and the rig being ready to receive them, was the basis for the milestone. Testing will now continue for the remainder of the year and if successful, manufacturing of the project’s remaining 5 vessels will go ahead.
The SCP facility is being delivered by the Programme and Project Partners at Sellafield and will ensure the existing Site Ion Exchange Effluent Plant facility, which has been running since 1985, can continue its vital work for decades to come, playing a vital role in Sellafield’s purpose to create a clean and safe environment for future generations.
The project team worked alongside Carlisle based Bendalls Engineering to design and manufacture the vessels.
Simon Wilcock, SCP’s project director, said:
The project has delivered its first project wide objective ahead of schedule which is a huge achievement for the team and our supplier Bendalls Engineering.
One of the benefits of the Programme and Project Partners approach is the ability to engage suppliers much earlier than would usually be the case if we followed a traditional client-contractor arrangement.
By engaging our suppliers earlier, we can put more time into working together to understand requirements and influence the design. We’re then able to reach better outcomes and avoid issues arising during manufacturing.
Ben Carter, Bendalls Engineering project manager, said:
The Programme and Project Partners model has changed the whole dynamic of how a contract for Sellafield has been traditionally executed.
By engaging with the client throughout the design stage, and building a whole team approach throughout, we’ve delivered a highly demanding project on time and to the highest quality.