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29 July 2004
CONSERVATIVE   LEADER   LEARNS   OF   POTENTIAL  
FOR   SCOTS  BUSINESS  IN DECOMMISSIONING

Scottish    Conservative   leader   David   McLetchie   today   heard   how decommissioning  Dounreay is seeding Scottish companies with the skills and expertise to clean up other nuclear sites in the UK and abroad.

left - right: George Campbell, Ian Clark, Tom Murray, all site TU representatives
front left - right: David McLetchie, Mary Scanlon, David Alexander, site TU rep

The value of work being won by firms involved in decommissioning the former experimental  reactor establishment is now worth almost £100 million a year and accounts for approximately 3000 jobs in Scotland.

During a fact-finding visit to Dounreay with Highlands and Islands MSP Mary Scanlon,   Mr   McLetchie   met   senior   management   and   trade   union representatives,  and  toured  facilities  that  are at the leading edge of nuclear decommissioning technology worldwide.

He  was  briefed  on  the  opportunities for Scottish firms to win a bigger share of the decommissioning market at Dounreay and elsewhere. The value of this work in the UK is currently in the region of £ 48 billion.

UKAEA  Dounreay  director  Norman  Harrison  said:  “There  is  a window of opportunity  at  Dounreay  during  the  intensive  phase of decommissioning activity  over  the  next  decade  or  so to firmly establish Caithness and Scotland as an international centre of expertise in the business of nuclear clean-up.

“The  skills and experience that are being developed at Dounreay will be in increasing  demand  worldwide  as  more  of the early generation of nuclear technology reaches the end of its life. The business potential already here at  Dounreay is a golden opportunity to establish  the area’s reputation on
an  international  stage,  and  sustain  its economy of beyond the eventual closure of the site.

“The  story  of  Dounreay  today is one of opportunity and optimism for the future,  and  I  was  delighted  to welcome Mr McLetchie and Mrs Scanlon to Dounreay  to  brief  them  on  the  potential  of this exciting and growing market.”

Mr  McLetchie  said:  "I was pleased to learn of the exciting opportunities for   Scottish   firms  to  develop  their  position  in  an  international decommissioning market.  The potential benefits to both the local Caithness economy  and job market are huge, and with imagination and foresight we can position Scotland at the forefront of this new technology."