Contract signing marks beginning of the end for Dounreay.
A contract to manage the company leading the demolition and clean-up of the Dounreay nuclear plant in Caithness has been formally awarded.
Babcock Dounreay Partnership, a consortium of UK and US companies, takes over Dounreay Site Restoration Limited (DSRL) from the UKAEA.
The demolition of the facility could be completed by 2022 and for £1bn less than previous estimates for the work.
All that would be left at the site would be nuclear waste stores.
The UK and Scottish governments have welcomed confirmation of the contract.
Scottish Secretary Michael Moore said Dounreay had been a beacon of “engineering excellence” in its operating days.
He added: “It is now a world centre of excellence in decommissioning skills.”
Scottish Rural Affairs and the Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “The Scottish government is committed to cleaning up the nuclear legacy it has inherited.
“Today’s announcement is good news as it will allow Dounreay to enter its final decommissioning phase.”
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