Britain’s Research Reactor Fully Decommissioned for the First Time

The UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) has announced the completion of the decommissioning of the Imperial College Ascot Reactor Center.

The 100-kilowatt CONSORT reactor at the Silwood Park campus of Imperial College London in Berkshire started operating in 1965 and was shutdown in 2012 due to rising costs and lack of research, education, training and commercial use. The fuel unloading was completed in 2014 and 31 fuel elements were removed and transported to Sellafield in Cumbria for interim storage prior to reprocessing.

The decommissioning of the reactor and surrounding bioshield was completed in February 2020, and the dismantling of all building structures, foundation slab and underground utilities was completed in April 2021.

“This is a very important achievement and a milestone in the history of decommissioning nuclear power plants in the UK,” said Ian Phillips, Head of Safety Regulation at the UK Nuclear Regulatory Authority.

The release of the area from regulatory control has created a recreational space in the center of the Imperial Silwood Park eco-campus, which can now be used without restrictions by staff and students.