RAICo1, Whitehaven

Located at William Pitt Industrial Estate, the RAICo1 facility occupies the site of a former steel fabrication works.

BEC were appointed to support phase 1 of the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence facility – the refurbishment of the c5,000 sq. ft. industrial unit and adjoining office block.

Works included the installation of pre-fabricated two storey laboratories, rewire, fire alarms, redecoration and improved welfare facilities.

RAICo1 is a joint initiative developed by Sellafield Ltd and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) in collaboration with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), The University of Manchester and the National Nuclear Laboratory. Sited in Whitehaven, west Cumbria RAICo1 is the first of a network of robotics and artificial intelligence hubs across the UK.

The facility will ultimately be used by Sellafield Ltd, supply chain partners and academia to develop the technology needed to decommission Sellafield and other sites like it.

Offering the ability to test technology in environments that mirror those on the Sellafield site, such as gloveboxes and water tanks, the facility removes some of the challenges associated with working on the nuclear site.