With the creation of its Decommissioning business line, Cyclife UK becomes the market-facing entity of the EDF Group in the country. In addition to its existing catalogue of consultancy and services in Waste Management, Cyclife UK will serve customers with the support of its sister companies: in the development of graphite reactor dismantling tools from Graphitech, 3D scenario and dose modelling from Cyclife Digital Solutions, and a range of advanced engineering design skills and peer review/benchmarking from Cyclife Engineering.
Cyclife has launched its decommissioning business in the UK with the recruitment of a team of specialists led by Emmanuelle Chardon, who has joined the company recently from Jacobs. As the market-facing decommissioning entity for the EDF Group in the UK, the new business line will also leverage the full learning and best practices developed on the French graphite reactor fleet and experience feedback from PWR (Pressurised Water Reactor) dismantling, along with the range of innovative and unique offerings developed by Cyclife UK’s sister companies (Graphitech, Cyclife Digital Solutions and Cyclife Engineering).
“As well as developing a team of UK-based decommissioning specialists, we are strongly supported by EDF’s existing decommissioning teams and in particular the formation of Cyclife sister companies such as Graphitech”, explained Emmanuelle Chardon, Head of the Decommissioning at Cyclife UK. Graphitech is a joint venture company established in 2019 between Cyclife and Veolia Nuclear Solutions, engaged in developing tools for graphite reactor core dismantling and the design of an Industrial Demonstration facility at the Chinon NPP in France to test core dismantling techniques in full-scale.
A broad range of services across the decommissioning lifecycle
Cyclife has been paving the way for the UK nuclear industry to adopt a value-driving Waste-Led Decommissioning approach for over ten years. By implementing a truly waste-led decommissioning philosophy, customers are able to create value for money through liability reduction. Through the new Decommissioning Business Line, Cyclife UK will specifically offer the following services to customers across the decommissioning lifecycle:
- Decommissioning strategy and scenario development pre-and post-defueling
- Full-site decommissioning planning and implementation
- Specialist engineering and design services
- Specialist waste management and environmental consultancy services
- Project planning, management and controls
- On and offsite waste management services
“Through this unique combination of strategic planning, cutting-edge decommissioning technologies, site execution and embedded waste management services with full nuclear-liability transfer, Cyclife’s customers can take a new, holistic approach to decommissioning that will reduce interfaces, save time and cost, and ensure the safe delivery of clear and tangible progress.”, commented Joe Robinson, Managing Director of Cyclife UK.
A natural evolution
Since its acquisition by EDF in 2016, Cyclife in the UK has been requested by its customers to take on increasing complex projects involving consultancy, site works and waste shipments, which provide underpinning core skills to support the development of the Decommissioning business line. The company has previously provided decommissioning support to a portfolio of customers including Magnox, Sellafield and General Electric and already has the systems and personnel in place to deliver a wide range of decommissioning services, including strategy and programme management consultancy, scenario development and analysis, and technical engineering design and delivery.
Cyclife will initially focus on the development of decommissioning strategies and plans for customers particularly bringing to bear expertise developed in the decommissioning of nuclear facilities in France and a waste-led approach.
EDF Chinon Nuclear Power Plant, France
Picture at the top, the new Decommissioning team of Cyclife in the UK, from left to right:
- Craig Preston, Senior Project Manager
- Lisa Hughes, Principal Consultant
- Neil Parton, Data Scientist
- Nick Meek, Technical Manager
- Emmanuelle Chardon, Head of Decommissioning
- Tim Shoesmith and Tim Kane, Decommissioning Planners
Further colleagues are already confirmed to join the team.
