Dounreay socio-economic review shows total spend of over £200m
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Total spend at the Dounreay site during 2022/23 amounted to £202.4 million, with £113.5m being spent with the supply chain, it has emerged.
The figures are given by Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) Dounreay in its newly published socio-economic annual review.
The report showcases Dounreay’s impact as a major local employer and buyer of goods and services in Caithness and north Sutherland.
It shows that almost £1 in every £3 spent with the supply chain went to a small or medium-sized enterprise, with 12 of the top 20 suppliers having a local base in the area.
On 2022 staffing, Dounreay had 1283 employees, of whom 96 per cent lived locally. In addition, there were around 700 supply chain workers at the site.
Dounreay had an estimated labour only gross value added impact of £77.4m locally and £167.2m in the UK.
Dounreay spent £487,807 in socio-economic grant funding across a range of community skills, wellbeing and infrastructure initiatives. The total funding committed during the year, on a multi-year basis, was £1.4m.
This funding leveraged in an additional £1.4m of public and private sector contributions.
The annual review also reports on Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) investment in the area with a three-year, £3m commitment to Sutherland Spaceport, an ongoing commitment of around £4m into Nucleus in Wick, supporting 68 jobs in Caithness, and a three-year, £487,000 funding package for the Focus North partnership aimed at economic development enabling activity.
In total, targeted NDA and Dounreay socio-economic activity in Caithness and north Sutherland committed around £8.4m in socio-economic funding which leveraged £29.9m in additional private and public sector investment.
David Calder, head of sustainability and socio-economics at NRS Dounreay, said: “This report highlights that decommissioning activity at the Dounreay site continues to be an important major social and economic enabler in the Caithness and north Sutherland area and beyond.
"NDA and NRS Dounreay commitment to creating a positive legacy today and in the future in partnership with other public and private sector organisations continues to leverage investment, develop capability and create opportunity.
"It’s the vision, dedication and passion in the organisations and projects we support that continues to make our area a great place to live, work and invest.”
The full report can be viewed on the NRS Dounreay website.
In the autumn, Dounreay underwent a change of name to incorporate NRS.
A statement at the time said: "Following the joining of Dounreay with Magnox in April, the company that used to be Magnox Ltd has changed its branding and from October 31, 2023, will be known as Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS). The Dounreay site will be part of this change but will still be known as Dounreay and will be a division of NRS, contributing high-quality decommissioning locally."
