King for a Dounreay

Charles marks nuclear anniversaries

- By David Young

THE King has marked a series of anniversaries linked to the nuclear industry on a visit to the north of Scotland.

He was in Scrabster in Caithness yesterday to meet key figures working in the sector.

Charles has a longstanding affection with the area and is a regular summer visitor to the nearby Castle of Mey.

The visit to Scrabster harbour was hosted by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to mark the 70th anniversary of the Dounreay nuclear site.

Established in 1955, Dounreay was a leading research centre for scientists and engineers experimenting with plutonium, uranium and other metals to generate electricity using advanced types of nuclear reactor.

That research work ended in the 1990s and the site is now Scotland’s

'Tremendous honour for the business'

largest nuclear cleanup, waste management and demolition project, with the overall aim of making sure that the land around the redundant research facilities is made safe for future generations.

The king unveiled a plaque to commemorate 50 years since the formation of the Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited company, which has been involved in the transportation of nuclear materials between Europe and Japan for five decades.

A lone piper played as Charles arrived at the pier.