Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd

On October 02, 2011, robert toolan from United Kingdom wrote:
Are you still doing vistors to power station if so what are the time do you have to book Regs Robert

On August 26, 2011, Steve Mitchell from South Africa wrote:
I worked in the Libary at Dounreay in the (very) late 70s and really miss the place still - even although it was 30+ years ago. I found it asafe and well run environment, with a really challenging putting green where I frequently put Harry Patterson and Donny McKinnon to the sword at lunch times! Steve Mitchell. 26/8/2011.

On June 15, 2011, Phil Latheron from United Kingdom wrote:
Fond memories of working at DMTR in 1967

On March 18, 2011, Howard Wilkins from United Kingdom wrote:
I am sad to see the site go. I spent the summers of 1980 and 1981 at Dounreay as a student assistant in both PFR projects and CDO. Great fun and I learned a lot.

On March 04, 2011, Pauline Keith from United States wrote:
Great website and love the newsletter. Such a lot has happened since I left in 2008 - miss you guys.

On January 17, 2011, Randall Bargelt from United States wrote:
Keep up all the good work. Its good to see.

On July 31, 2010, Karel Burgoyne from United Kingdom wrote:
First - excellent web page. Second- something of a walk down memory lane reading about the areas now being dismantled. Happy haunts when I was a lad. Halcyon days and at the time felt like I was surrounded by very, very clever people and too many I am still grateful for the encouragement they gave me as a young "atomic". Third- Those who may remember me please feel free to drop me a line. karelburgoyne@dsl.pipex.com

On July 25, 2010, stephen arnot from United Kingdom wrote:
dounreays website is excellent.easy to navigate and always something new and interesting to read

On June 04, 2010, Dave Oliver from United Kingdom wrote:
As an ex-UKAEA employee (Winfrith site) I like to periodically see what the latest is at the various decommissioning sites. Dounreay's website is excellent, easy to navigate and always something new and interesting to read.

On April 08, 2010, Bill Mowat from United Kingdom wrote:
It is true that energy skills perfected at Dounreay will be useful to participants in marine energy; when G. Bernard Shaw first proposed Pentland Firth electricity in 1907,(Fabian Society policy pamphlet) the technology was not there; but offshore oil and gas exploitation have provided much of it, although no tidal steam device here or worwide is yet beyond the prototype stage. Nor is there accord about the best type of technology (e.g. sub-sea windmills, or ducted structure or those with polo-mint centres) to be used in harvesting the swift currents. But nothing at all wrong with 'nuclear standards'. However, it is dismaying that the illustration is of a device that it would be illegal to deploy in the Pentland Firth. Although wholly in the UK's territorial sea, the channel is an international waterway under the terms to the treaty/accord that the UK is a signatory to. This is under the International Maritime Organisation, which is incidentally the only United Nations Organisation (UNO) agency based in UK (in London). This right of free passage for all countries' merchant ships means that devices must not poke above the sea-level as illustrated, but must give a clearance of at least 23 metres, the known deepest laden draught of the biggest vessels using Firth on passage. The fact that �20 million of taxpayers' money invested in the Queen Elizabeth Pier has not given Caithness a deep-water facility that is suitable as a MAIN base for West of Shetland oil/gas operations means that this area will lose out on major 'in situ' participation in the multi-billion pound Total-led development of the 'new' Laggan Tormore duo of gas condendate/gas-fields (W. of Shetland) that kicks off in earnest this summer. The output is going to Sullom Voe and onwards to St Fergus, Aberdeenshire. I recall that it is not so long either since a new sea-bed gas-line from the Atlantic Frontier (until now) 'stranded' fields and a power station or petrochemical works at Dounreay was being held up as 'the great white hope'(early 2000s) for Caithness. Don't get me wrong: Dounreay has been extremely positive for Caithness over past 50-odd years. And the Crown Estate is to be complimented on moving to try to commercialise marine energy at a reasonably early date. But Alex Salmond talks about the Firth as the 'Saudi Arabia' of renewable energy. But Saudi had not only plenty of oil, but can produce it cheaply. It remains to be seen if the Firth's bounteous resources of kinetic energy can be generated into electricity at competitive prices; that will not be clear until at least 2015. There may be a case for commercially testing different styles of devices in Outer Gills Bay/Inner Sound, the area of the new mini-round of Crown Estate seabed leases announced last week. Of course, it lies wholly within Caithness waters in the E. Pentland Firth; but the Merry Men of Mey tide-race where winter swells of c. 8 m are not unusual on on every twice-daily ebb, will reduce the productivity of any sea servicing of the above area from the Dounreay 'airt'. (i.e., West) Regular navigation of those broken waters will not only be unpopular with engineers and operatives of marine devices, but could cause H&S issues. The same would be true to a lesser extent of the Bores of Duncansby, if this mini-lease area were to be serviced from the east side. But should this not be the area where devices to harness slower currents in the Firth's western (e.g., off Dounreay) & eastern approaches are appraised, not to mention tapping the deeper, but fastest, tidal streams of the Firth's main navigational channel. Winter experience for manpower and machines in the Pentland Firth is essential (not a luxury) before its true energy potential can be fully appraised. BM