Ten months after the Joint European Torus ceased operating, the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is embarking on a long-term decommissioning project and needs new software to support its work

A government body is seeking to make a six-figure investment in software to help log and track radioactive waste created over the coming years as a long-standing nuclear fusion research site is decommissioned.

Based in Oxfordshire, the Joint European Torus (JET) facility began operating in 1983 and conducted its final test late last year. A  decommissioning process – which will last until 2040 – has now begun. Work will be led by the UK Atomic Energy Authority, an arm’s-length body of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

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In delivering the project, UKAEA will require a new IT system to help keep tabs on the radioactive material created by the process.

The agency has published an early-engagement notice alerting the market to its need for such a software platform, and inviting potential suppliers to fill out a questionnaire to help inform a formal bidding process that is expected to take place in April 2025.

“The UKAEA are seeking a new inventory system to track radioactive materials generated from site activities, especially in reference to radioactive materials produced from the decommissioning of the JET tokamak system,” the notice said.

Providers that register their interest will be given documents with details of technical specifications. The government agency ultimately expects to sign a deal worth about £250,000.