Altrad has bagged a £31m contract for the design, asbestos removal, deplant, demolition and construction works in and around the blower houses.

The firm will also be supported by Veolia KDC Decommissioning Services, NSG Environmental, OBR Construction, Mammoet, and Cavendish Nuclear.

Ross McAllister, Magnox programme delivery director said: “This is one of the largest decommissioning projects that Berkeley site has seen for several years.

“It was originally planned for the 2070’s so it is fantastic to bring that forward by five decades in our aim to deliver our mission better, faster and even safer.

“The blower houses circulated gas through the reactors to transfer heat into 310 tonne boilers to create steam to turn the turbines and generate electricity. The last of the 15 gigantic metal boilers was transported to Sweden for cleaning, smelting and recycling in 2013.

“The buildings will be emptied of the residual metallic low-level waste and undergo a full asbestos clean before being demolished.

“The work is expected to take eight years to complete and will be another major step forwards in sustainably decommissioning Berkeley site with our supply chain partners.”

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority operating company, Nuclear Waste Services were awarded a £13.7m contract to manage 2,400 tonnes of metallic waste.