Springfields
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| Springfields | |
|---|---|
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| Built | 1940 (as munitions factory); 1946 (as nuclear fuels facility) |
| Location | Salwick, Lancashire, England |
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| Industry | Nuclear fuel |
| Products | oxide fuels; uranium hexafluoride |
| Employees | 800[1] |
| Address | Springfields Fuels Limited, Westinghouse, Springfields, Salwick, Preston PR4 0XJ |
Springfields is a nuclear fuel production installation in Salwick, near Preston in Lancashire, England (grid reference Script error: No such module "Ordnance Survey coordinates".). The site is currently operated by Springfields Fuels Limited, under the management of Westinghouse Electric UK Limited, on a 150-year lease from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.[2] Since its conversion from a munitions factory in 1946, it has previously been operated and managed by a number of different organisations including the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and British Nuclear Fuels.[3] Fuel products are produced for the UK's nuclear power stations and for international customers.[4]
Activities on the site
The site has been making nuclear fuels since the mid-1940s. The site is notable for being the first nuclear plant in the world to produce Magnox fuel for a commercial power station (Calder Hall).[3][4]
The four main activities carried out on the site are:[5][4]
- Production of oxide fuels for advanced gas-cooled and light water reactors, as well as intermediate fuel products (uranium dioxide powders, granules, and pellets)
- Production of uranium hexafluoride, or "hex"
- Processing of fuel-cycle residues
- Decommissioning and demolition of redundant plants and buildings[3]
At its peak the site employed 4000 people, but reduced demand and increased automation saw this fall to about 800 by 2020.[4]
In December 2022 Westinghouse received a £13 million grant from the UK government to explore the development of Uranium Conversion Services at the site.[6]
Future of the plant
Decommissioning activities have so far resulted in 87 buildings on the site having been fully demolished.[7] A Clean Energy Technology Park (CETP) has been set up to encourage new companies to operate on the site.[4]
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Legal". Retrieved 10 December 2024.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Chapman, Ben (30 March 2017). "Westinghouse bankruptcy: Is the future of nuclear power in the UK in doubt?". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
- ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Westinghouse". Westinghouse website on nuclear sites. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Springfields: what next?". Nuclear Engineering International. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Nuclear Fuel Manufacture at Springfields" (PDF brochure). Wesinghouse. 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Westinghouse Receives UK Government Grant to Explore Uranium Conversion Services".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Nuclear Decommissioning Agency". Decommissioning at Springfields site. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
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