WWII radiation detected at Highland substation site halts some work

Construction activities at a substation, part of a high-voltage electricity cable link connecting Orkney and the Scottish mainland, have been halted following the detection of radioactive contamination. This installation, situated in Dounreay, close to Thurso in Caithness, is an element of energy firm SSEN’s £900m Orkney-Caithness 220kV link initiative. The detected radiation traces are thought to originate from military aircraft instruments that were disposed of in the vicinity during or subsequent to World War Two, approximately 80 years prior. Instrument dials were made luminous with a paint containing radium-226 (Ra-226), and comparable contamination issues have been identified at other locations in Scotland, such as Dalgety Bay in Fife. Both SSEN and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) affirmed that the location was safe and posed no danger to the general public. The Dounreay West substation premises were under radioactivity surveillance because of their historical use during wartime. Sepa stated: “Following the identification of radium contamination at the site, SSEN has stopped work while it acquires an Environmental (Scotland) Authorisations Regulations 2018 (EASR) permit. An EASR permit is needed due to the presence of radium contamination at depth and the planned excavation works, beyond these depths.” SSEN reported that the impacted zones were promptly isolated, and exclusion areas were established. Certain activities have recommenced following their earlier suspension. A company representative commented: “In line with our robust environmental mitigation plans and following advice from our specialist contractor, the affected areas were immediately isolated, and exclusion zones established. Some non-intrusive site activities have now recommenced, with the agreement of Sepa. We are in ongoing dialogue with Sepa and continue to work with them, our contractors and other relevant stakeholders, with a view to recommencing full site activities in the new year.” The connection to aircraft dials was initially brought to light by the John O’Groat Journal and Caithness Courier. Caithness hosted several military airfields throughout World War Two. An airfield was established at Dounreay but ultimately saw no operational use by the RAF, as per the Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. It was subsequently acquired by the Royal Navy. The Dounreay experimental nuclear power facility was constructed in the vicinity during the 1950s. Upon its completion, the 33-mile (53km) subsea cable will link renewable energy projects in Orkney to the national grid, providing electricity to 250,000 households. The connection extending from Warebeth, close to Stromness, to the Dounreay substation is scheduled to become operational in 2028. Worries regarding radioactive contamination have previously surfaced at other locations across Scotland. The pollution impacting Dalgety Bay is thought to be associated with aircraft that were demolished and discarded in that vicinity following World War Two. Sepa voiced apprehension concerning the finding of radioactive metal in 2011. Highland Council commissioned a survey of Kingsteps Quarry in Nairn subsequent to “word of mouth” reports of interred aircraft. Examinations conducted in 2015 revealed no indication of radioactive contamination. Probes have also been conducted previously on sand dunes situated close to Kinloss in Moray. Radium-226 (Ra-226) is a naturally occurring radioactive element. Historically, it was thought to offer health advantages and was incorporated into toothpastes and food products. Its application in luminous paints for timepieces and aviation instruments continued until the early 1970s. This material requires centuries to undergo radioactive decay. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.