We're excited to share that Ramco has been contracted by JET Decommissioning and Repurposing (JDR) to trial a new approach to decommissioning across one of the UK's best known scientific sites, the Joint European Torus (JET) estate in Oxfordshire.
JET was for decades one of the world's leading fusion energy research facilities. Now that its experimental work has finished, the site is being decommissioned and repurposed under a programme called JDR (JET Decommissioning and Repurposing), run by the UK Atomic Energy Authority. Over the next few months, Ramco will be working across several buildings and areas on the JET estate, helping clear space and recover value from the equipment and materials left behind.
Part of this work directly supports the wider redevelopment of Culham Campus. Clearing one particular area of the site, known as the Reactive Power Compound, is a key step in a programme called STRIDE (Strategic Investment and Development for Energy & AI). STRIDE is preparing the land for a fourth Super Grid Transformer that will help power the east end of the campus for future projects.
As a relatively young programme, JDR is utilising a variety of approaches to deliver its building decommissioning projects. In this instance, rather than JDR building out a full team and going through extensive engineering preparation themselves, Ramco steps in to handle the assets directly, identifying what has resale value, what should go to scrap, and what needs to be demolished. It offsets the investment JDR would otherwise need to make, while still maximising the value recovered from the site.
Steve Gilligan, Engineering Integration Manager at JDR commented:
“Through delivering prior building decommissioning projects, we recognised that there was a need to explore a different model. The value of asset-based decommissioning is that it offsets the investment needed to establish a team, do engineering preparation, and then maximises the value of the material. The JET expertise is around the knowledge of the site, and how we can make it safe. We need to generate the information to allow industry to follow their practices and do the work as quickly and efficiently as they can."
He also had good things to say about working with the team so far:
“Ramco have been great to work with. We’ve had a number of site visits, and each one of them has highlighted the level of engagement.”
For Ramco, it's a chance to do exactly what we do best. Teddy Townsend, Business Development Manager at Ramco, put it simply:
“This is really exciting because it allows us to do what we do best. We can look at assets that have value, which can be taken to auction, we can do the scrap, and we can do the demolishing.”
Work on site has already started, with the trial contract due for completion in March 2027.
It's a project that sits well alongside the work we've already done for organisations like the Ministry of Defence, Government Departments, Uniper, National Highways, and Nuclear Restoration Services. Different sites and different challenges, but always the same approach: find the value, recover it responsibly, and make sure that good, working equipment stays in use.
You can find out more about JDR's work at ukaea.org/work/jet-decommissioning-and-repurposing.
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