Case Study

Sellafield Nuclear Site

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Background

Sellafield, formerly known as Windscale, is a large multi-function nuclear site close to Seascale on the coast of Cumbria, England. As of August 2022, the primary activity includes nuclear decommissioning of legacy facilities, planned for completion by 2120.

At the end of 2019 the site had a visitors centre that was demolished, at this time all the power to site was lost. Richard, Reliability Engineer, was tasked to look for off-grid lighting while keeping to the company objectives of reaching sustainable goals.

Challenge

Products needed to be off-grid and renewable
The site required fully mobile equipment
The suitable product footprint was a challenge as space availability varied
Various options were required for specific tasks
All lights acquired had to meet sustainability objectives the business set out

Prolectric Temporary Solar Tower and Street Lights

The Solution

After meeting with Prolectric, Sellafield found our temporary lighting products to meet their needs. At the beginning of 2020, the site received their first batch phase of temporary lighting consisting of Prolectric’s ProLight Solar Tower Lights. As the site requirements grew, Sellafield acquired Prolectric’s ProRXM Solar Tower Lights and ProTemp Temporary Solar Street Lights.

Sellafield is continually supported by Prolectric during their site decommissioning project which will continue for at least another 100 years. The products are promoted across the site to various partners to highlight the benefits of the lights.

ProRXM Solar Lighting Tower

The Result

I have purchased Prolectric’s solar lighting equipment for use as a contingency when the regular network is offline / isolated for reasons such as cable failures, excavations etc.

There are now Prolectric Tower Lighting Units in use across the site, so we have a high level of confidence in both the Prolectric as a company and the products they produce, as well as the after sales service and support they provide.

The growing number of Prolectric Solar Tower Lighting Units across the business has also had the added benefit of removing a large amount of diesel-powered equivalents from the site allowing greater compliance with Sellafield’s ongoing initiative to improve levels of sustainability for which we have won praise from Senior Management.

In summary, I would have no hesitation in recommending Prolectric to any potential future customers as I have found them to be both amenable and professional to deal with and look forward to doing further business with them in the future.

Richard Thompson, Reliability Engineer – Infrastructure Utilities, Sellafield Ltd

Furthermore, it was noted that the Prolectric operations team dealt with site requirements promptly and were quick to assist with any site needs 24/7. Simultaneously, the sales team continue to be on hand to provide support, further assisting in site operational requirements and improvement of equipment, moving from diesel to solar.

The below results were taken from 1 January – 26 June 2024, showing the significant savings made by Sellafield in this year alone – across the long lifespan of their fleet of tower lights.

Carbon Savings

440 tons of CO₂e

Fuel Savings

34,950 gallons of fuel

Diesel Cost Savings

$303,238

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Sellafield Case Study

What our clients
have to say

We have approximately 50 Prolectric Solar Tower Lighting Units in use. We have a high level of confidence in both Prolectric as a business and the products they produce as well as the after sales service and support they provide. As an Approved Vendor, the growing number of units across the business has had the added benefit of removing a large amount of Diesel powered equivalents from the site. I would recommend Prolectric as I have found them to be both amenable and professional to deal with and look forward to doing further business with them in the future.

Richard Thompson
Reliability Engineer – Infrastructure Utilities

Highways England’s environmental strategy seeks to help protect, manage and enhance the quality of the surrounding environment.

The use of Prolectric solar powered lights on the project is an excellent innovative approach by the A14 Integrated delivery team. The use of renewable power sources on the A14 scheme helps us to work in greater harmony with the environment.

David Bray
Project Director, National Highways

After the initial concern of suggesting to run a diesel generator 24/7 for the project duration, Magnox hired the ProPower Solar Hybrid Generator. The evident demonstration of the effectiveness of commercially available solar hybrid equipment has been the driving force behind this investigation. This provided a great example of sustainable solutions meeting the needs of projects on site and demonstrates the applicability of using solar hybrid systems.

Jack Armitage
Consultant