Norway’s state nuclear decommissioning body Norsk Nukleær Dekommisjonering (NND) has selected a joint venture between Jacobs and Multiconsult Norge to plan the decommissioning of the country’s nuclear facilities.
The $100 million (NOK 1 billion) contract will see Jacobs and Multiconsult focus on two research sites: the nuclear fuel and materials testing reactor at Halden and the JEEP-II neutron scattering facility at Kjeller.
These two facilities were shut down in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
NND chief technology officer Nils Bøhmer said: “The decommissioning of the nuclear facilities in Norway is a complicated assignment, and NND is pleased to see that there is a big interest from both international and local/national suppliers to assist NND in this task. NND welcomes the international decommissioning experience that Jacobs brings onboard and acknowledge that it will be of valuable help for NND.
“At the same time, we also greatly appreciate the Norwegian experience that Multiconsult Norge AS has, which means that the two companies will be a strong partner for NND in the coming years.”
Jacobs and Multiconsult will provide engineering concept design and planning of new facilities, as well as upgrade of existing nuclear and non-nuclear facilities. The partners will also prepare technical safety cases to meet license requirements.
According to Jacobs, the expected cost of fuel treatment and decommissioning of the Halden and Kjeller reactors amounts to $1.96 billion (NOK 20 billion) and will take 20-25 years to complete.
Jacobs energy, security and technology senior vice president Karen Wiemelt, said in a statement: “Laying the foundations for a safe and effective cleanup will protect people and the environment and enable these two sites to be used for other purposes for decades to come.”
