Pioneering innovation enabled the team to cut 356 electrical cables inside the tunnels between the turbine hall and reactor building of the redundant nuclear power station over two weekends - reducing work time by 91%. This was achieved by disconnecting the site’s entire power supply to remove the risk of cutting through a live cable and the need to trace each cable to its source, News Cover reports, citing UK government.
Wider safety measures avoided work near to potential asbestos which eliminated the need for scaffolding and prevented work in confined spaces or close to degrading assets.
John Alderton, Oldbury Site Director, commented:
I’m incredibly proud of how everyone collaborated to deliver this project safely and successfully. It’s a great example of how innovation and creative thinking can solve long-standing challenges. By learning from previous cable cutting campaigns and applying those insights to a new strategy, the team has truly transformed the way we work and set a new benchmark for the industry.
The learning from this innovative method of bulk cable cutting can be applied to any area of decommissioning in the right circumstances. It took 18 months to complete over 2,000 cable cuts in challenging environments and declare the building free of electrical hazards following a period of verification.
Adam Bird, Oldbury Site Senior Project Engineer, said:
Delivering this solution has been a great challenge that has really stretched our ways of thinking - not only within the team but with others on site too.
Now that the turbine hall has been isolated, we are looking forward to commencing bulk asbestos removal, followed by de-planting of the building. The turbine hall, welfare area and administration complex will then be demolished - clearing a four-acre footprint ready for its next use.
