Sellafield have clear targets for greenhouse gas emission reduction. This is part of the overall site mission. Reducing carbon in construction is a key component of our carbon management plan.
GAP Hire Solutions has been a trusted supply chain partner to the Infrastructure Strategic Alliance (ISA) Plant Team (Part of Morgan Sindall Infrastructure) at Sellafield, working in close collaboration to identify, develop and deploy more environmentally responsible equipment solutions tailored to the site’s unique and complex requirements.
The partnership has been built on a shared commitment of meaningful change, not just in the equipment on site, but in the culture and approach of those responsible for it.
Driving sustainability progress at a site as complex as Sellafield is no small undertaking. The challenge is not simply sourcing greener equipment, it is embedding a culture of change across a highly regulated environment, influencing manufacturers to adapt their products, and demonstrating that lower-carbon alternatives can meet the standards required on the UK’s largest and most complex nuclear site.
Sellafield, the ISA Plant Team, GAP Hire Solutions and multiple equipment manufacturers have worked in close partnership, each playing an active role in bringing lower-carbon solutions from concept to deployment.
GAP’s involvement has gone well beyond equipment supply. Working alongside ISA and Sellafield, they have engaged positively with manufacturers to develop solutions adapted to the site’s specific needs, influencing product design, supporting trials, and helping to build the business case for change at every stage.
Sellafield has been clear that this collaborative model has been central to progress, acknowledging that their ambitions could not have realised without the proactive involvement of the supply chain.
Over the course of the partnership, a range of more sustainable equipment solutions have been introduced to Sellafield, including:
Among the recent additions is the Armorgard VoltHub VH9 battery charging unit which enables larger battery products to be used over and above battery hand tools, this unit was two years in the making following the Armorgard VH16 which is also used on site. Introduced to Sellafield ahead of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) Sustainability Workshop, the VoltHub VH9 made its official debut at the event in June 2026, where it served as a focal point during site tours led by members of the Plant Team. The work undertaken from all involved means that the risk of Li Ion fire is reduced.
On 3rd June 2026, representatives from the ISA Plant Team took centre stage at a major NDA Sustainability Workshop at Energus, Lilyhall, invited by Sellafield’s Sustainability Strategy Team to share the story of what has been achieved.
The presentation was delivered jointly by Paul Murphy, Logistics Manager at Morgan Sindall Infrastructure and Steve Cooper, Business Development Director at GAP Hire Solutions. Drawing on five years of collaborative work, they demonstrated how the supply chain can act as a meaningful driver of sustainability, influencing equipment design, accelerating deployment, and helping to meet joint environmental targets on one of the world’s most complex industrial sites.
Alex Hill, from Sellafield Service Strategy and Technical team, along with Anna Pollard, Sellafield Sustainability Integration Manager commented: “While the technology is groundbreaking, the true success story is the collaborative culture change that made it possible. Equipment solves problems, but culture change shifts industries. We are all proud to be a part of this journey and look forward to advancing to the next chapter.”
By demonstrating what has already been achieved, and what is in the pipeline, the presentation showed other NDA sites that sustainable progress at this scale is not just possible, but replicable.
The response from NDA delegates was strong, with enthusiasm for the collaborative model and particular interest in the potential for fossil fuel-free operations. For GAP, the event was a clear validation that proactive supply chain engagement can shift industries, not just individual sites.
Sellafield’s initial interest in working more closely with the ISA Plant Team and GAP on these initiatives was itself sparked by the Future Fuels event hosted in May in 2025, a further demonstration of what collaborative knowledge-sharing can achieve, and the long-term value it creates through engagement at all levels include key stakeholders at Sellafield and agreement from the Sellafield Fire & Safety Team has made this journey possible.
The success we have seen so far gives confidence that trial work on hydrogen fuels will continue with JCB later in the year.
