Contract awarded to demolish Scotland's oldest reactor

The Dounreay Materials Test Reactor during its construction in the 1950s

A contract has been awarded to demolish Scotland's oldest nuclear reactor.

The Dounreay Materials Test Reactor (DMTR) achieved criticality, a nuclear term referring to the balance of neutrons in the system, in 1958.

The site at Dounreay nuclear power complex, near Thurso, was built using 600 tonnes of steel. It was shut down in 1969.

Cavendish Nuclear will work with JGC Engineering, KDC and Frazer-Nash Consultancy on the three-year contract.

The entire Dounreay site is in the process of being decommissioned.

An interim end state, when the decommissioning work has been completed, is expected to be reached between 2030 and 2033.