US-based Westinghouse Electric Company has announced a major engineering contract with Norwegian Nuclear Decommissioning (NND) to plan the decommissioning of Norway’s two nuclear research reactors located in Halden and Kjeller. The three-year agreement includes options up to six years and is valued up to $100 million (NOK1 billion).

“The decommissioning of the nuclear facilities in Norway is a complicated assignment and NND welcomes the international decommissioning experience that Westinghouse brings to this project.” said Nils Bøhmer, CTO at NND. “We greatly value the in-depth expertise that Westinghouse has in engineering design, including extensive experience in licensing and safety assessments. They will be a strong partner for NND in the coming years.”

Sam Shakir, President, Westinghouse Environmental Services, noted: “We will reimagine the sites as safe, thriving, and sustainable and ensure the decommissioning projects are completed efficiently and in a manner that returns them to green fields.”

Currently, Norway’s Department of Energy Technology (IFE) has a licence to own and operate the Norwegian nuclear facilities in Halden and Kjeller. In the long term, NND, established in 2018, will take over all licences and is preparing for the takeover of all relevant facilities, with associated necessary personnel and responsibility from IFE on 1 January 2024.

Image: Westinghouse is to decommission Norway's two nuclear research reactors in Halden (pictured) and Kjeller