Sellafield Ltd has awarded a multi-million pound contract to build a nuclear waste processing facility at its site in Cumbria.

A joint venture between Balfour Beatty, Amec and Jacobs will be responsible for the design, engineering and construction of the Box Encapsulation Plant (BEP) project – a four-year programme potentially worth up to £336 million.

The BEP project is part of Sellafield’s wider programme to prepare hazardous nuclear waste for storage and disposal.

It will also process waste recovered from other facilities on the Sellafield site once they are decommissioned.

Scott Reeder, Sellafield’s Chief Projects Officer 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.”