NRS Dounreay
NRS Dounreay is a UK government state entity under the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority that safely decommissions and remediates the Dounreay nuclear site in Caithness, Scotland, serving solely the UK Government as its single funder.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- Headquarters—
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What NRS Dounreay does
NRS Dounreay (Nuclear Restoration Services Dounreay) is a UK government public sector organisation responsible for the decommissioning and environmental remediation of the Dounreay nuclear site in Caithness, Scotland. Originally operating as 'Dounreay' and founded in 2006 in its current legal form, the entity was absorbed into Nuclear Restoration Services as part of an NDA estate consolidation. Its functional mandate covers the safe dismantling of legacy nuclear facilities, characterisation and management of radioactive waste, environmental cleanup of contaminated land and infrastructure, and long-term stewardship of nuclear materials on the site.
The organisation's core technology is nuclear decommissioning and site remediation services, delivered through a directly employed workforce of approximately 570 staff supplemented by specialist subcontractors. Operations are structured around NDA regulatory frameworks, site-specific safety cases, and waste-route strategies documented in NDA guidance such as 'Determining the timing and pace of decommissioning' (November 2023) and the NDA Draft Business Plan 2021 to 2024. Notable technical workstreams include reactor defueling, fuel element cave cleanup, sodium disposal, and the management of low-, intermediate-, and high-level waste streams. The organisation also runs apprenticeship and skills-development programmes to renew its specialist workforce.
NRS Dounreay's business model is that of a single-customer public sector contractor. It generates no commercial revenue; all funding flows from the UK Government through the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority under multi-year budget settlements. Pricing is not commercially negotiated but determined through NDA programme allocations and the HM Treasury spending review process. The organisation does not operate commercial marketing or distribution channels, instead engaging suppliers via the NDA supply chain charter (December 2024) and publishing socio-economic impact assessments to justify continued public investment in the Caithness region.
NRS Dounreay firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NRS Dounreay
- Legal name
- Dounreay
- Website
- https://dounreay.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- NRS Dounreay is a UK government state entity under the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority that safely decommissions and remediates the Dounreay nuclear site in Caithness, Scotland, serving solely the UK Government as its single funder.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NRS Dounreay industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Nuclear Decommissioning Services
- NAICS
- Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Remediation Services (562910), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629), Remediation Services (56291)
- SIC
- Hazardous Waste Management (4955)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Decontamination & Dismantling (D&D) of Nuclear Facilities (EUAKAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Nuclear Plant Decommissioning & Site Restoration (EUACADAJ), Facility Deactivation, Defueling Support & Transition to Decommissioning (EUAKAFAH), Nuclear Waste Management & Geological Disposal (EUACADAM)
Keywords
NRS Dounreay business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
NRS Dounreay product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NRS Dounreay performs nuclear site decommissioning, radioactive waste management, and environmental remediation of the former Dounreay nuclear research and reactor facility in Caithness, Scotland. Services are delivered as part of the UK government's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) programme and include safe dismantling of legacy nuclear assets, management of radioactive materials, and long-term site restoration.
Product overview
NRS Dounreay (Nuclear Restoration Services Dounreay) is a UK government nuclear decommissioning organization. According to the source, Dounreay was replaced by Nuclear Restoration Services. The organization handles nuclear site decommissioning activities, as evidenced by guidance documents such as 'Determining the timing and pace of decommissioning' and policy papers including the NDA estate supply chain awards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Nuclear Site Decommissioning Safe dismantling and decommissioning of legacy nuclear research and reactor facilities at the former Dounreay site in Caithness, Scotland. Delivered to the UK government under the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) framework.
- Radioactive Waste Management Handling, treatment, and long-term management of radioactive waste generated by nuclear decommissioning activities at the Dounreay site. Delivered as part of the UK government's NDA estate programme.
- Environmental Remediation of Nuclear Sites Environmental cleanup and remediation of contaminated land and assets at the former Dounreay nuclear facility. Delivered to the UK government under the NDA framework.
Companies that use NRS Dounreay
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
NRS Dounreay technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
NRS Dounreay partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
NRS Dounreay competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Orano: Orano is a French nuclear fuel cycle and decommissioning specialist offering end-to-end nuclear site cleanup, radioactive waste treatment, and dismantling services across Europe, comparable in technical mission to NRS Dounreay's decontamination and waste management work.
- EnergySolutions: EnergySolutions is a US-based nuclear services company specializing in decommissioning of nuclear power plants, radioactive waste processing, and site remediation, directly comparable to NRS Dounreay's decontamination and dismantling mandate.
- Sellafield Ltd: Sellafield Ltd operates the UK's largest nuclear decommissioning site in Cumbria under the NDA estate, directly comparable to NRS Dounreay as a fellow NDA-owned site operator handling legacy reactor cleanup, radioactive waste processing, and site remediation at scale.
- Nuclear Restoration Services (Magnox): Nuclear Restoration Services (formerly Magnox Ltd) is the direct organizational parent/sibling of NRS Dounreay, operating multiple NDA-owned nuclear sites across the UK with decommissioning, defueling, and waste management missions identical in scope to Dounreay.
- Cavendish Nuclear (Babcock): Cavendish Nuclear, a Babcock International business, is a major UK nuclear services contractor providing decommissioning, site remediation, and radioactive waste management services to NDA sites including Dounreay, making it both a peer and a frequent contracting partner.
Emerging players
- Studsvik: Studsvik is a Swedish-based nuclear services company providing decommissioning, waste management, and consulting services to nuclear site operators across Europe, comparable to NRS Dounreay's advisory and waste handling capabilities.
- Holtec International: Holtec International operates nuclear decommissioning projects and used nuclear fuel storage solutions across the US and internationally, with technology and service offerings that overlap with NRS Dounreay's radioactive waste storage and site cleanup activities.
Broad incumbents
- AtkinsRéalis (formerly SNC-Lavalin): AtkinsRéalis provides nuclear engineering, decommissioning planning, and waste management services to government and utility clients globally, offering overlapping capabilities to NRS Dounreay as an engineering and program management incumbent.
- AWE (Atomic Weapons Establishment): AWE is a UK government-owned nuclear facility operator (under the Ministry of Defence) that handles nuclear site management, radioactive material handling, and long-term stewardship - a broader incumbent in UK government nuclear operations with overlapping decommissioning and waste management capabilities.
- Jacobs Solutions: Jacobs provides nuclear site characterization, remediation, decommissioning engineering, and waste management consulting to government clients including the UK NDA, positioning it as a broad incumbent peer with comparable technical services to NRS Dounreay.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
NRS Dounreay social profiles
Digital presenceNRS Dounreay financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NRS Dounreay leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
NRS Dounreay funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NRS Dounreay M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NRS Dounreay
What does NRS Dounreay do?
NRS Dounreay performs nuclear site decommissioning, radioactive waste management, and environmental remediation of the former Dounreay nuclear research and reactor facility in Caithness, Scotland. Services are delivered as part of the UK government's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) programme and include safe dismantling of legacy nuclear assets, management of radioactive materials, and long-term site restoration.
Is NRS Dounreay a public or private company?
NRS Dounreay is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently acquired.
When was NRS Dounreay founded?
NRS Dounreay was founded in -1. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Who are NRS Dounreay's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Orano, EnergySolutions, Sellafield Ltd, Nuclear Restoration Services (Magnox) and Cavendish Nuclear (Babcock). Emerging players are Studsvik and Holtec International. Broad incumbents are AtkinsRéalis (formerly SNC-Lavalin), AWE (Atomic Weapons Establishment) and Jacobs Solutions.
Does NRS Dounreay have an API?
No public API is recorded for NRS Dounreay.
What industry is NRS Dounreay in?
NRS Dounreay's product category is Nuclear Decommissioning Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAKAFAB, Decontamination & Dismantling (D&D) of Nuclear Facilities, with a secondary code of EUACADAJ, Nuclear Plant Decommissioning & Site Restoration. Its NAICS code is 562211 and its SIC code is 4955.