Bilfinger : to cooperate with Cyclife in the decommissioning of nuclear power plants

12/08/2021

• Memorandum of Understanding lays the groundwork for long-term cooperation
• Focus on decommissioning of so-called biological shields
• Joint participation in tenders throughout Europe planned

Industrial services provider Bilfinger through its entity Bilfinger Noell GmbH (BNG) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with EDF (Électricité de France) subsidiary Cyclife SAS. Bilfinger intends to cooperate with Cyclife in the decommissioning of nuclear facilities in various European countries.

"In the years ahead, a significant number of nuclear power plants throughout Europe will be decommissioned", says Christina Johansson, interim CEO and CFO of Bilfinger. "Together with Cyclife, we can provide complex services from a single source throughout the entire decommissioning process - from initial planning to on-site dismantling to release from the Atomic Energy Act."

Bilfinger and Cyclife will initially cooperate on the decommissioning of so-called biological shields. These are the approximately 2.5-meter-thick and up to 30-meter-high concrete casings that surround the reactor vessel. There will be more than 20 tenders for the decommissioning of these shields in Germany and Sweden alone.

Christina Johansson: "Bilfinger has been serving clients in the energy and nuclear sectors for decades and has successfully completed several challenging decommissioning projects. By combining Cyclife's engineering expertise and many years of experience in markets such as Sweden and France, the two partners will together become a key player for nuclear decommissioning throughout Europe."

Long term, the two companies plan to cooperate in decommissioning projects in France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, where numerous nuclear power plants are approaching the end of their service life in the next few years. Bilfinger and Cyclife also intend to jointly plan and execute the decommissioning of primary circuits, auxiliary systems and major components such as steam generators in the future. The range of services provided by the two companies covers feasibility studies, design and approval planning, dismantling, post-operational and execution planning, supply of equipment technology and the actual performance of the work on site, including the training of personnel and the preparation of the necessary documentation for release from the Atomic Energy Act.

Bilfinger has been active in the decommissioning of nuclear power plants and the treatment of radioactive waste for decades. For example, Bilfinger dismantled the steam generators in the decommissioned Mülheim-Kärlich nuclear power plant. The company has recently been awarded a contract by the Federal Company for Radioactive Waste Disposal (Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung - BGE). The scope is to develop and test special equipment that could be used to safely retrieve thousands of casks containing low and intermediate-level radioactive waste from the Asse II mine shaft.