sellafield visitor tours

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Sellafield Visitors Centre Closed

The popular centre, operated by BNFL and opened in 1988 to promote tourism in West Cumbria's biggest city after Kendal town was chosen as its location due largely because it had no existing nuclear power plants at that time. The £5 million attraction became an important part of visitor attractions until last year when operations closed down following 20 years on job - leaving guests with some amazing memories but also leaving many unanswered questions about what will happen next?

You could venture into the heart of a nuclear reactor, drop in on a Victorian ‘ghost’ and experience an eye-opening demonstration of nuclear fission.”

In 1995, BNFL's Visitors' Centre had a multi-million pound refurbishment reflecting their evolution from an almost wholly UK based business to one of the major players in international nuclear services. The revamp catapulted them into future with kaleidoscope science and technology that is designed not only for adults but also children as well!

The Mighty Atom was a friendly mascot who watched over the city on his nuclear transport flask, telling stories of recycled spent fuel.

In 2002, BNFL handed over creative control of an exhibition to the London Science Museum. By 2008 when it closed its doors after 2 million visitors had browsed through them - with only one year left before Sellafield's nuclear legacy was cleaned up by English Heritage-the agency responsible for preserving historic sites across England at risk due a combination reasons such as age or neglecting too much etc., this meant that there were now even more people interested in how our past can be preserved so carefully without destroying knowledge about what once existed here long ago!

Sellafield Ltd is now responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of Sellafield, a nuclear plant that functioned inFilesyderia from 1956 until 1990. The company has transformed how this historic landmark communicates with its public through an ongoing story being told at beacon museum located within Whitehaven town center- just off Beach Road next door where you can find plenty more information about what happened here before it became part Of Our History In 2017 management passed onto British firm Little Britain LLP after 64 years under private ownership  Since then there have been many updates including construction work on two new buildings which will tell us awesome things happening daily when we visit!

SELLAFIELD VISITOR CENTRE

The learning and discovery involves interaction, exhibits and presentations which will give you and insight into the ways how electricty is generated from nuclear power to fossil fuels.

Within the centre you there are a number of areas for you to encounter:

The World of BNFL which involves a number of of on-screen displays and interactive games in which you will learn the history of BNFL and its operations worldwide.

The Sellafield Gallery where you will travel through a time tunnel discovering the earlier history and the present day of Sellafield with the aid of plasma screens. The presentations will give you interesting facts and its operations. View the Sellafield site from the observatory and walkway.

The Sellafield Story is given by the visitors center staff with the aid of DVD footage in which you will explore the past, present and future of Sellafield from its operations to its processes. You can also ask questions if you wish.

Sparking Reaction is independent interactive exhibition which is produced by the Science Museum, London www.sparkingreaction.info. Within the exhibition you will discover electricity generation, role of nuclear power with the aid of touchscreen games, hands on displays and interactive zones. Once you enter into the exhibition you go through the Earth, Live and Neutral where you will view live images from cameras at electricty-generation sites and electricty users in homes and businesses. On leaving the Earth, Live & Neutral you can enter into the Core where issues are raised in relation to how Britain is powered. Powering Your Future is interactive exhibits and artefacts on questions such as Do we take electricty for granted and best way to power to your home? In the area of Weighing the Risks discover how safe is a nuclear plant? What is the worst that can happen and why are we scared? Enter into the Immersion Cinema where you have been placed in charge of solving the energy shortages and power cuts which the country is facing. Through the interaction you decide how the country is to be powered. Also within Sparking Reaction you will find Exhibits for the under 7s , Find out more and have your say along with Think on .

After visiting the Sparking Reaction why not enter into the Art Exhibition and discover some of the local artists paintings which are changed every month.

ALL THE ABOVE IS FREE

Afterwards you can take a well earned rest in the coffee shop where you will find varied range of refreshments and hot meals [at certain times]. Before you leave enter into the gift shop where there is a variety of goods to remember your day at Sellafield.

Pinic area can be found along with a Tourist Information Centre.

Please Check with Establishment before attending to see if any alterations have been made to the Opening times and the attraction itself.

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New Sellafield exhibition to open in Whitehaven

Visitors will be able to step behind Sellafield’s security fences for the first time in years – thanks to a new exhibition.

The Sellafield Story at Whitehaven’s Beacon Museum has been revamped – and when it reopens next week, will offer a virtual tour of the nuclear site.

Housed in a 300-degree immersive cinema, the tour includes exclusive footage captured across the site and inside some of Sellafield’s nuclear facilities.

Kate Stinton, Sellafield Ltd director of communications and stakeholder engagement, said: “With the original exhibition we wanted to bring Sellafield into the local community, explaining what we do and showcasing the people who do the work. With this update we’ve been able to add an element of taking people behind our security fences, albeit virtually.”

The updated exhibition also includes a photos showing how the nuclear site has evolved over 75 years, as well as how the communities have developed alongside the site. People will also be able to submit their own photographs to feature in the timeline. 

Other features include hands-on games, new early-years activities, and introduces three new central characters – Proton, Neutron, and Wlectron – collectively known as the Atom Squad. 

The collaboration with Copeland Borough Council and the Beacon Museum team is part of Sellafield Ltd’s Social Impact Multiplied programme. 

Gary McKeating, Sellafield Ltd’s head of community and development, said: “Our partnership with Copeland Borough Council at the Beacon Museum is another example of the power of delivering social impact through collaboration with community partners. 

“Social Impact Multiplied is part of Sellafield Ltd’s wider sustainability programme and so I am particularly proud that in refreshing the exhibition the team minimised the waste created, recycling 60 per cent of the original wall display materials.”

Heather Holmes, Copeland Borough Council’s customer and visitor experience manager, said: “I think our visitors are going to love the immersive nature of the film, and all the other interactive elements – it’s a great way to have fun and learn about the industry at the same time.

“There are some fascinating old photographs from the community too, and many people will be delighted to learn the ever-popular building block area still remains.”

The Sellafield Story will be open to the public as part of the wider Beacon Museum experience from Tuesday, July 5.

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A tour around the Sellafield Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Plant

Xa tour around the sellafield nuclear fuel reprocessing plant.

Digging out an old report partly as it is topical, and partly as I was talking about it the other night and got a bit nostalgic for one of the best weekend’s I have had.

Background:

Some years ago on another website I used to organise group events which usually gained us access to places not really open to the casual tourist, or if they were “tourist traps”, I would usually arrange for something extra to be added.

One such trip was a whole day getting a guided tour around Sellafield – not the visitor centre, but the actual nuclear facility itself.

The tour was arranged for July 2005, but the London bombings meant all secure sites were off-limits to visitors, so the tour eventually took place almost a year later once things had calmed down a bit.

Spent the weekend in Carlise, with its lovely Castle and Cathedral – and at the time, the only Wi-Fi being sharing a weak service right next to the hotel reception desk. Essential as several people dropped out of the tour at the very last minute, so I think we ended up with just 8 people turning up at Sellafield.

Bit embarrassing – but they didn’t seem to mind.

Here is the report I wrote on 11th June 2006.

A day at the Sellafield Nuclear Reprocessing Center getting a personalised tour of the facility.

All started with a supper on Thursday evening at an Italian restaurant in Carlisle that hadn’t changed since the 1970’s – along with the 3 ft long pepper grinder.

The following morning, we congregated at Sellafield Visitor Centre – some us having gone to the main entrance, also marked as “visitors” and then having to arrange for transport to the correct entrance.

Following a good overview presentation of the facility, we went to the first factory, where hot nitric acid with nuclear residues are mixed with glass and poured into containers for storage.

Here, we had to get prepared to enter a radioactive area – this involved taking our shoes off, putting on large “hiking” socks that went over our trousers then going over to a bench.

Here we had to put shoes on, but our feet could not touch the other side of the barrier, and the shoes cannot touch the safe side. All to prevent contamination – then overalls and hard hats.

The temperature of the containers is cooled down to a mere 250 degrees Celsius in a chamber which is protected by thick concrete and 1.5 mtr thick glass windows to prevent radiation leakage.

Radiation behind the walls was 230 sieverts – 5 will kill you on the spot. Fortunately, where we stood, was just 1 millionth of a sievert.

After seeing around the facility and how all the containers are prepared for storage, we went up to the huge storage centre – a room with loads of deep tubes in the concrete into which the containers are lowered and plugged with a 6 ft rubber plug.

We got to stand on the top of this – said to be the most radioactive place in the world !

You can still feel the heat from the nuclear waste – even through the massive rubber plug.

Now, the “fun” bit – getting back out.

Again, back to the bench and slip out of shoes then swing over the barrier, making sure we don’t touch the floor with our socks.

Then a chap came along with a Geiger counter and ran that over each of us in turn to check we were safe.

Then another check – imagine a huge airport style metal detector, except you have to stand in it, slide your hands deep into two holes and get close to the wall to be checked, then turn around and do the same with your back.

Only then can you enter the safe zone and leave.

A quick bus ride (v hot inside) to THORP, where nuclear waste arrives and is dealt with.

We got to have a look at the arrivals centre where the famous white flasks arrive by train and are opened to remove the nuclear fuel and waste inside. We then went round to see the media-friendly water tanks where the nuclear fuel is stored for up to 6 years while it cools down.

We had a much needed break for sarnies and lunch – and a sit down to rest weary feet – then back to THORPE to see more.

Again, suit up and put on the big socks.

Here, the guides had a special belt containing a small amount of gold in it.

This was a place where a potential “criticality” could occur – and if that happened, the gold could be checked to see how bad the radiation dose was that we suffered from – aka, how many days of life was left to us.

It was the only place where in the event of an evacuation, that the guides were allowed to leave us – as you just run as fast as possible to get out !

Fortunately, nothing that drastic occurred.

Anyhow, here we went into the fuel storage rooms and stood high above the water tanks while the processes involved in storing the waste for years were explained.

Leaving the area before we fainted from the heat, we were taken round to see the rooms where the fuel is chopped up into small chunks and then dropped into the hot nitric acid we had seen earlier in the morning.

Again – huge concrete walls and 1.5 mtr thick glass protected us from the massive levels of radiation.

beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep

What was that ?

Well, throughout the facility – there are sirens and every 10 seconds (or so) they all beep, loudly.

This is to ensure that the alarm system is working – and I really wouldn’t want to work in such an environment. Although apparently long term workers get used to it.

The place is far more industrial than I expected, being more like a factory than the white suited scientist dominated place I would have presumed had anyone asked me prior to the visit.

Anyhow – a wander round the massive facility to stand next to a wall, behind which some nitric acid had been leaking from – this is a topic of current news. The leak was contained, and dealt with safely – it just took them too long to notice it happening.

We also got an overview of how the uranium and plutonium are separated from the acid bath before the waste leftovers are taken to be sealed up in glass.

Amazingly, they are able to recover 96% of the uranium and reuse it as more fuel for power stations.

We also got close to the entrance to where the plutonium facility exists, but we had nothing like enough security clearance to go in there.

Leaving – again, lots of fun with the shoes and socks – and the radiation checks to be allowed to leave.

And then out of the building, and bus tour round the site to see the place before heading back to the visitor center and leaving.

Quite interestingly, as Sellafield no longer actually generates power, just outside the fence is a separate gas powered electricity power station – so the entire nuclear facility is actually powered by North Sea Gas !

Lots of police with machine guns protecting the place, and loads of security to get in and out of buildings.

We also had to all carry around a small radiation badge which will be checked over the next few days to ensure our exposure remained within safe limits – otherwise we get ominous letters in the post.

No photos were permitted inside the facility.

Overall – an absolutely fascinating visit and a real eye-opener as to the industrial processes of nuclear waste storage.

I learnt a heck of a lot in a short period of time.

Just one final point, don’t go all the way there for the Visitors Center, it is aimed at 5 yr olds.

Addendum: The IanVisits weekly newsletter is getting to the point where the readership size is large enough for me to start booking events and tours of my own again. Need to sort out my current financial woes, then I should be looking to start organising exclusive tours again maybe later this summer.

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do you know if you can still get such a tour? in france they seemed to stop them all recently,.

You’re asking whether a tour that took place in 2006 is still available in 2011?

Probably best to ask them directly.

Dear Sir, Is it still possible to have a tour of the of Sellafield?

You’ll need to ask them what their policies are.

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Corporate information

We’re creating a clean and safe environment for future generations.

Our purpose

Welcome to Sellafield

Seventy-five years ago, we helped to create the nation’s nuclear deterrent.

Today, we’re using our unrivalled knowledge of nuclear to create a clean and safe environment for future generations.

At every step in between, our people have decoded the mysteries of the nuclear atom.

Those who went before us were the first to harness its powers to generate electricity on a commercial scale.

They closed the country’s fuel cycle by recycling used fuel and went on to reprocess more than anyone else in the world. And they solved the problem of how to safely look after every type of nuclear waste.

In doing so, they made a significant contribution to national low carbon power generation.

Since 1956, UK nuclear power has saved 2.3 billion tonnes of carbon emissions, the equivalent of all the UK’s emissions from 2015 to 2020.

The present - we are Sellafield

Now we’re taking waste out of buildings that are as old as the site itself, dealing with the legacy of our nuclear past. We’re looking after fuel so that nuclear power stations can continue to operate, and we’re repackaging the country’s stockpile of nuclear materials.

Once our value was measured in kilowatt hours of electricity produced, or the commercial price of reprocessed fuel. Now it is measured in our ability to place nuclear waste into containers that are safe for the long-term, to remove intolerable risks to our environment and to nurture the diverse skills our nuclear community needs.

Today we are taking great steps towards creating our clean and sustainable future.

In cleaning up the birthplace of the UK’s nuclear industry, we are once again generating growth and employment in West Cumbria, the North West of England and beyond.

Our 11,000 strong workforce is joined by more than 40,000 people from the best of the best in the nuclear supply chain, from small Cumbrian businesses to global market leaders. We need this diversity of thinking, of backgrounds, cultures and experiences.

Ensuring everyone’s voice is heard is crucial to our success and in making Sellafield Ltd a truly great place to work.

Together, we’re at the forefront of engineering, innovation, project management and leading-edge support functions.

Together, we’re building £8 billion of new waste management facilities and manufacturing tens of thousands of waste containers, while also reducing our carbon footprint.

Together, we’re inventing the robots and technology that we need to clean up Sellafield. Robots and technology that can be exported to the growing global decommissioning market.

In everything we do, we’re ensuring the £2.3 billion of public funding we’re entrusted with has economic and social impact in our communities.

Sellafield is no longer the country’s best kept nuclear secret. It’s where we’re tackling the legacy of the past, building a capability for the future, and where we’re creating a clean and safe environment for future generations.

Further reading

What is Sellafield

From cleaning-up the country’s highest nuclear risks and hazards to safeguarding nuclear fuel, materials and waste, our work is nationally important.

We do this work on behalf of our owner, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Our work at Sellafield

We work in 4 value streams:

Retrievals: we are retrieving nuclear waste, fuel and sludge that are stored inside our legacy ponds and silos, the highest risks and hazards at Sellafield

Remediation: beyond the legacy ponds and silos, we have hundreds of nuclear and non-nuclear facilities at Sellafield that need to be cleaned-up

Spent nuclear fuel management: we currently store spent nuclear fuel from nuclear power stations in the UK. Providing a safe and secure storage route for the fuel enables those stations to keep operating and generating electricity.

Special nuclear materials: we have the facilities and expertise to provide safe, secure and appropriate storage for special nuclear materials

Operating the Sellafield site also includes:

nuclear waste management: we are the only organisation who can safely manage all 3 forms of nuclear waste: high, intermediate and low

infrastructure: our day-to-day operations at Sellafield rely on the availability of a range of services, from an on-site laundry to a comprehensive rail network

In delivering of our work, including emptying our highest hazard buildings, waste management and keeping special nuclear material safe, we are building on an epic scale at Sellafield

We are currently investing in one of the largest portfolios of complex major projects in the country, creating the facilities we need for the next stage of our purpose.

Our strategy and priorities

The focus of our work is set out in our Enterprise Strategy. In that document we set out our strategic objectives and priorities for 2020-2025.

Strategic objectives

Objectives 2020-2025.

JPEG , 70.2 KB

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

Safe, secure, sustainable, site stewardship

The safe and secure stewardship of the Sellafield site is our priority.

It covers everything from the safety of our employees and care for the environment through to the management of nuclear materials Sustainability is also part of this important value and underpins every decision we make.

Our focus areas are:

• exemplify proactive safety, security and sustainability
• reduce carbon and enhance the environment
• manage a smart, agile and resilient site

Progress at pace

Our focus remains on progress and in delivering our purpose. Sellafield is home to the oldest nuclear facilities in the UK and we are focusing our efforts on safely accelerating the clean-up of our oldest facilities.

We will also demonstrate our process through the timely completion of the Magnox reprocessing programme.

The ‘pace’ reflects that we have made some significant steps over recent years and will continue with appropriate pace and urgency.

A key change in this area is the increasing prominence of waste treatment, management and storage.

• control and repackage special nuclear material
• empty Legacy Ponds and Silos
• lead the UK in predictable project delivery
• support national imperatives
• create quality waste products
• remediate site towards agreed end states

Lifetime value for money

This focus area is broader than a financial context and so we have used the phrase ‘lifetime value for money’ to reflect this wider holistic view of value.

Cleaning up a legacy site and reducing the government’s long-term liabilities is part of this process but we can create addition value by leaving a positive legacy for the environment.

This could be anything from improved public health or sustainable local businesses to supporting the nuclear sector deal or reducing emissions in support of climate change.

Are focus areas are:

• unlock the potential of our people
• drive innovative solutions for the future
• be a supportive employer, neighbour and industrial partner
• minimise liability for future generations
• maximise public value and return on investment

Priorities – 2020-2025

Sellafield will change over the next 3 to 5 years. We are currently investing in one of the largest portfolios of complex major projects in the country, creating the facilities we need for the next stage of our purpose.

Our retrievals programmes are transitioning into a regular drumbeat of large-scale operational activities, establishing the process of recovering, treating and packaging waste.

Similarly, we will move from small scale repackaging in our special nuclear materials facilities into a long-term production process.

By 2025 we will:

• make Sellafield a great place to work by living and breathing our manifesto behaviours
• demonstrate our nuclear professionalism by our visible pride in our environment
• work in an agile and adaptive way using digital technology
• create shared confidence in our programme and major project delivery
• have much greater understanding of the value and cost of our operations
• recognise and share expertise across the NDA Group

Our manifesto

Our strategy relies on the behaviours in our manifesto to create a great place to work, with motivated people pulling together as one team to deliver our objectives.

JPEG , 62 KB

Co-created with employees from across our organisation, our manifesto sets out the organisation that we want to be. The behaviours we want to see. And the clear purpose that we are all working towards.

The Manifesto

We are creating a clean and safe environment for future generations.

Our manifesto also reminds us that we are all nuclear professionals.

Regardless of our role or location, we are all here to create a clean and safe environment for future generations.

This is the expectation we all have of each other:

• we value each other
• we are one team
• we make a difference
• we are kind and respectful
• we perform with passion, pride and pace
• we re clear on what we are here to do
• we care about our community and environment
• we trust and hold to account
• we appreciate and celebrate achievements

Each part of our manifesto is owned by a member of the executive team, but it belongs to us all.

Access our information

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• Accessible documents policy
• Media enquiries
• Our governance

Jobs and contracts

• Procurement at Sellafield Ltd
• Working for Sellafield Ltd

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EDF opens first UK visitor centre

04 September 2012

Visitors are once again being encouraged to visit EDF Energy's UK nuclear power stations with the opening of the first of a new generation of visitor centres at the Hunterston B plant.

At the end of the 1990s, the UK's civil nuclear sector boasted a wealth of visitor centres catering to the needs of anyone interested in finding out more about nuclear power. BNFL's public visitor centre at the Sellafield nuclear site opened in 1988 and was a top regional tourist attraction. As the 20th century came to a close the UK nuclear plant operator of the time, British Energy, decided to phase out its visitor centres to focus its efforts on electronic communications. Dwindling visitor numbers saw the eventual closure of the Sellafield centre and its transformation into a conference centre in the late 2000s.

Fast forward a dozen years or so, and EDF Energy now owns and operates most of the UK's nuclear power plants. And as it prepares for the construction of a new generation of nuclear reactors, the company has decided that it's time to reintroduce visitor centres, with plans to open a series of centres at seven UK nuclear generation sites this year.

The first new visitor centre to open its doors, Hunterston B in Scotland, offers guided tours of the operating site, as well as an introduction to the nuclear industry by using hands-on displays and interactive aids. The centre is expected to attract around 3500 visitors per year, mostly through organized tours for schools and educational groups although members of the public will also be able to attend by appointment.

According to EDF Energy chief executive Vincent de Rivaz, the company has long recognised the importance of openness and transparency in its nuclear and retail business. "I am delighted that Hunterston B will be the first of seven new visitor centres at all our plants in the UK. They will be an important part of our commitment to increase our engagement with the public," he said.

EDF Energy is planning to build new reactors at Hinkley Point and Sizewell in England. The company operates two nuclear plants in Scotland, but the devolved Scottish government does not support new nuclear. Attending the opening of the Hunterston B centre, Scottish minister for energy, enterprise and tourism Fergus Ewing welcomed EDF Energy’s commitment to openness and transparency. "While the Scottish government has a clear policy position against new nuclear build, we recognize that EDF Energy is a valued local employer and supports the community in which it operates," he said.

However, Hunterston B is not the only operating nuclear power station in the UK with an operating visitor centre. Wylfa's visitor centre has remained open to the general public since 1992, although public tours of UK nuclear power plants were halted following the US terrorist attacks of September 2001. Wylfa unit 1 is the last operating Magnox plant, and is scheduled for closure in September 2014.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News  

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WNN is a public information service of World Nuclear Association

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Seascale is a small seaside resort, significantly enhanced in Victorian times by the introduction of the Furness Railway in the 1850’s. Rich in history, the village can trace its origins back to an early Norse settlement and to Roman Britain.

The railway opened up Seascale as a popular holiday destination for many families from the North of England. Bracing sea air, miles of clean sandy beaches with safe bathing, and easy rail travel were a must for Victorian holidaymakers.

Today the village retains much of its Victorian charm, including the Water Tower, a listed building used, before Seascale had a proper water supply, to pump water to ‘The Banks’, from a large water tank on the hill where the golf course is now. The former Goods Shed is now the Sports Hall.

To mark the millenium, the former wooden jetty has been reinstated. It is a focal point for fishing, beach casting, wind surfing and water-skiing, and provides a starting point for many of the village walks.

About half a mile north of the town, on private land belonging to Seascale How Farm, is the relatively unknown  Grey Croft Stone Circle .

About a mile north of the town is BNFL’s  Sellafield Nuclear Site . Here is the site of the world’s first commercial nuclear power station, Calder Hall, operating from the early 1950’s until 2004, and the Windscale Nuclear Reactor (Piles) – Britain’s first attempt at a nuclear reactor to produce plutonium for the war effort, which suffered a major incident in 1957. Here also is the Sellafield Reprocessing Plant – a controversial site that converts the spent fuel from nuclear reactors worldwide into re-useable uranium, plutonium, and highly radioactive fission products that will have to be safely stored for thousands of years.

St Cuthbert’s church  has an interesting almond shaped stained glass window.

The Seascale Parish Council have published a booklet, available from shops in the village, ‘Village Walks in and around Historic Seascale’.

Seascale Update April 2022

Editor: we received the below information from a past resident of, and visitor to, Seascale.

“The village has a small selection of amenities. On the seafront is Mawson’s ice cream parlour and café, and the village hairdresser. Away from the sea front is another small commercial area housing the Library, doctors surgery, pharmacy and post office, hardware store, Chinese takeaway, Co-op store, pizza takeaway and dog groomer.

“Note: the Parish Council leased a large portion of the public car park to Sellafield which means at busy periods parking can sometimes be a problem.

“Seascale also has several hotels. The nearest banks are in Egremont.”

Image (above) credited to James McCaffrey. February 9th 2023.

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