Dounreay

E920484

Dounreay is a remote site on the north coast of Scotland best known for its former fast-breeder nuclear reactor complex and associated decommissioning project.

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Observed surface forms (1)

Surface form Occurrences
Dounreay nuclear facility 1

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf former nuclear power research site
nuclear facility
constructionStart 1950s
coolantUsed liquid sodium
country United Kingdom
decommissioningPlannedCompletion mid-21st century
decommissioningStart 1990s
DounreayFastReactorCriticality 1959
DounreayFastReactorShutdown 1977
employmentRole major local employer in Caithness
environmentalRegulator Scottish Environment Protection Agency NERFINISHED
firstReactorCriticality 1959 GENERATED
fuelTypeUsed plutonium-uranium mixed oxide fuel
gridConnection connected to UK electricity grid during operation
hasFacility Dounreay Fast Reactor NERFINISHED
Materials Test Reactor NERFINISHED
Prototype Fast Reactor NERFINISHED
fuel reprocessing plant
intermediate level waste silo
low level waste disposal facilities
waste shaft
hasIssue historic waste management problems
radioactive contamination
knownFor fast breeder reactor research
nuclear decommissioning project
laterManagedBy Cavendish Dounreay Partnership NERFINISHED
Dounreay Site Restoration Limited NERFINISHED
locatedIn Highland NERFINISHED
Scotland
locatedOnCoastOf north coast of Scotland
managedBy UK Atomic Energy Authority NERFINISHED
near Thurso NERFINISHED
village of Buldoo
notableIncident 1958 sodium-potassium alloy explosion in waste disposal shaft
1998 discovery of radioactive particles on local beaches
ownedBy Nuclear Decommissioning Authority NERFINISHED
primaryPurpose experimental fast breeder reactor development
PrototypeFastReactorCriticality 1974
PrototypeFastReactorShutdown 1994
reactorTypeTested sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor
region Caithness NERFINISHED
regulator Office for Nuclear Regulation NERFINISHED
researchFocus fast neutron physics
fuel cycle development
reactor materials testing
secondaryPurpose nuclear fuel reprocessing
siteSelectionYear 1954
status in decommissioning

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Thurso hasNearbyIndustry Dounreay
this entity surface form: Dounreay nuclear facility
Thurso, Caithness, Scotland near Dounreay
subject surface form: Thurso