The contract has a potential value between £240m and £336m for over four years.
The BEP project is being developed as an integral part of the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS) program, aimed at cleaning up the most hazardous legacy facilities on the Sellafield site.
Sellafield is operated by Nuclear Management Partners (NMP), a consortium comprising URS, AMEC and Areva.
Upon completion, BEP will treat nuclear waste recovered from MSSS, immobilise it and then prepare it for long term storage.
Additionally, the BEP will process waste recovered during the decommissioning of other significant Sellafield facilities which include the First General Magnox Storage Pond (FGMSP) and the Pile Fuel Storage Pond (PFSP).
Sellafield chief projects officer Scott Reeder said: "Our primary focus is to safely clean up and decommission all high hazard facilities on the site, and successful completion of the BEP project will be a vital step forward in that mission."
"This framework award therefore represents a significant milestone for us as we move forward in tackling our mission.
"The market recognised the challenges presented by this important and complex project and a number of strong organisations emerged to tender for the framework."
Image: Sellafield is considered to be Europe’s most complex nuclear site. Photo: courtesy of Sellafield Ltd.
