The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Major nuclear contract for Fife yard
A major Fife dockyard is to lead a multi-million-pound contract to supply the Sellafield power facility with specialist handling and containment systems to process nuclear material.
Babcock said its Rosyth facility will be used by subsidiary group Cavendish Nuclear to fulfil the new 10-year contract.
The deal is worth up to £95 million over the first three years and will see Cavendish meet all of Sellafield’s requirement for the design, manufacture and supply of complex, bespoke equipment for the treatment and management of nuclear materials.
The new deal comes less than a month after Babcock announced 250 Rosyth workers were to be made redundant as work at the yard waned as the build contracts for the two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers moved towards their conclusion.
It is not clear whether the new contract for Cavendish will offer fresh hope to the redundancy-threatened workers.
Richard Hardy, Prospect’s national secretary for Scotland, said while it was great to see some good news at Rosyth, and any work coming into the yard is welcome, it remained to be seen whether this would have “any major impact on the redundancy situation”.
“What we really need to see is some major shipbuilding or ship repair contracts coming into the yard, and we’ll continue to press for this on behalf of our members,” he added.
That was backed by local MP Douglas Chapman.
The SNP’s defence procurement spokesman said: “It’s clear the talents of the workforce at Rosyth have won the day and secured this ongoing, long-term contract for Babcock.”
But the Dunfermline and West Fife MP added that he would continue to make the case for the Type 31e frigates and navy support ships to be built at Rosyth, either in whole or in partnership with other yards, and for the UK Government to give a guarantee that both Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers are refitted at Rosyth.
Babcock said the work was going to Rosyth as a result of recent major investment in new workshops, fabrication bays and remote overhead cranes.
It added that Rosyth has a “proven track record of delivering large-scale, complex products, including the containment doors for the pile fuel cladding silo at Sellafield”.
Babcock said the contract will be delivered by Cavendish and its partners with support of a UK-wide supply chain that will bring together the “best of Britain’s nuclear expertise in an integrated team committed to meeting the customer’s demanding specification”.
Babcock chief executive Archie Bethel said: “We are delighted that Cavendish Nuclear continues to support Sellafield in the delivery of this strategically important programme.”