NDA STRATEGY | DECOMMISSIONING & DISPOSAL It demonstrates that the NDA Group is trusted to do
more, and for the first time the strategy has a chapter examining the NDA’s role in the UK nuclear enterprise across the civil and defence sector, and how it can leverage these unique capabilities and assets to enable broader policy objectives, while ensuring delivery of the core decommissioning mission is never compromised. For example, the NDA Group is providing access to 400
tonnes of reprocessed uranium in the inventory so it can be used to develop cutting edge cancer therapies which could help save lives. It is also working with the Home Office to develop a safe waste route for gamma blood irradiators used by medical and research organisations, to reduce the risk of the radioactive materials falling into the hands of malicious actors. By leveraging the NDA Group capabilities and specialist experience, these collaborations are delivering greater value for the nation. This refreshed strategy is shaped by several core drivers.
The first is hazard reduction. Addressing the highest hazards – particularly legacy facilities at Sellafield – remains the overriding priority. This is where risk reduction activities deliver the greatest benefit to workers, the public and the environment, and where focused effort and resources make the most difference.
Managing legacy waste Huge strides have been made in tackling these hazards since the inception of the NDA in 2005. Radioactive waste is now regularly being retrieved from all four of Sellafield’s oldest storage ponds and silos, which are the highest hazard facilities within the NDA estate, and the UK’s inventory of civil plutonium has been securely consolidated on the site. These achievements were not straightforward. Early
phases of the NDA Group mission were characterised by inherited facilities with limited waste inventory records, evolving regulatory expectations, and delivery models not designed for long-term clean-up. Over time, the NDA Group has strengthened its approach to risk-informed decision- making, system planning, and transparency – learning from what has worked, and what hasn’t. The strategy reflects this maturity: applying lessons from two decades of delivery to improve pace where it matters most, and future-proof the mission so choices now don’t increase the liability that needs to be managed in the future. In terms of progress, the NDA Group has also defueled
all 26 Magnox reactors, the UK’s first generation of nuclear reactors, removing 99% of the radioactive hazard on these sites. Around 68 tonnes of highly radioactive liquid metal coolant from the Fast Reactor on the Dounreay site has also been removed and safely destroyed. But now the NDA Group needs to go further and faster,
accelerating the pace of retrievals from Sellafield’s ponds and silos, establishing the plutonium immobilisation programme, and progressing the GDF programme in line with UK Government policy to ensure a final disposal solution is available for the most hazardous waste.
Developing an integrated approach The second driver is integration. Decommissioning, waste management, spent fuels and nuclear materials cannot be managed in isolation. Decisions in one area affect outcomes in another. The strategy therefore strengthens system-level planning so that progress in one area does not create obstacles elsewhere.
In practice, this means planning decommissioning activity
alongside waste treatment, storage and disposal capacity from the outset. For example, aligning retrieval schedules at Sellafield with the availability of modern storage facilities reduces the need for interim handling and rework. Similarly, shared planning between Sellafield, Dounreay
and former Magnox sites enables the NDA Group to replicate proven approaches for ponds, silos and reactor decommissioning, improving safety and productivity while avoiding costly bespoke solutions. This is where embedding the group model really pays dividends. By working together more closely, organisations can share knowledge and transfer learning to enhance performance and delivery right across the estate. It is a strategy that embraces accelerated hazard reduction programmes, shared technical learning between sites, new waste treatment and storage approaches, and coordinated group planning that makes better use of existing assets before building new ones. These are not isolated successes – they are the building blocks of a more integrated delivery system. One area where collaboration is truly transformative is
research, development and innovation (RD&I). Through strategic investment, collaboration and sharing good practice, nationally and internationally, RD&I can improve safety, security and sustainability. Across the UK’s nuclear sites, the wider sector, and beyond, there are some common challenges to overcome where new technologies are a gamechanger in terms of reducing costs, timescales and environmental impact, while also moving people further away from harm. What’s really key is bringing together the knowledge and technical expertise from academia and industry with the operators on the frontline, to deliver solutions that work in a live environment and can be scaled up across multiple sites.
A realistic approach to the waste challenge The third driver is delivery realism. Legacy facilities are very different to those being constructed today which are built with decommissioning in mind. Some sites date back to the 1940s and were engineered to deliver immediate operational needs around energy and defence, rather than with safe decommissioning at the forefront. Cleaning up legacy facilities is capital-intensive,
technically uncertain and highly regulated. The NDA is currently responsible for 17 sites, totalling around 950 hectares of designated land, and this is due to grow to
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The Pile Spent Fuel Pond at Sellafield is one of the UK’s most challenging decommissioning and disposal sites. Source: NDA
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