Dounreay dome’s rusty patches to be touched up – paint job could cost £500k
The operator of Dounreay’s nuclear site seeks a specialist contractor to freshen up its iconic dome with a lick of paint.
Despite being earmarked for demolition, Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) wants some rusty patches of the dome painted over to see it through to the end of decommissioning. An advert was posted for companies to bid for the lucrative contract which is estimated to be up to £500k.
The 41m (135ft) diameter structure contained the world's first fast breeder nuclear reactor and it was last painted 25 years ago. Costs were cited as the main reason for not continuing the work but NRS says that only “easy to reach parts” of the sphere that have become rusty will be painted.
An NRS spokesperson said: "The sphere continues to be an integral part of the way we protect people and the environment during decommissioning of the Dounreay Fast Reactor.
"Small parts of the outer structure are showing signs of surface rust and, while it does not affect its integrity, it’s important to monitor and undertake appropriate maintenance during the period of our decommissioning programme.
“In areas accessible from ground level, where we have other work progressing, we will take the opportunity to carry out limited maintenance. Work is underway to appoint a specialist contractor to support this.”
