The Dounreay Materials Test Reactor (DMTR) is set to be levelled as part of the decommissioning process at the site.
The facility, which became Scotland's first operational reactor in 1958, was built with steelwork weighing in at almost 600 tonnes and stands on foundations more than 25 metres in diameter. It tested the effects of irradiation on metals and was the only reactor on the site to use heavy water instead of liquid metal as a coolant.
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Having shut down in 1969, many of the surrounding facilities have been cleared out and demolished including cooling towers, emergency control room and pipework.
A contract notice to level the DMTR is set to appear in the Official Journal of the European Union. A contractor for the three-year scheme is expected to be appointed in the first half of 2018.
Bill Lambie, Project Manager, said: "This month we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first criticality in Scotland, which took place in a temporary test rig. That was an immense achievement, and we are now poised to demolish its successor and the oldest reactor on site, DMTR.
"The removal of DMTR from the skyline will be a significant step for Dounreay, and will be a real and visible sign of the decommissioning progress being made."
(LM/MH)
