The U.K. Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has published its strategy for consultation, outlining the roadmap for safe, secure, and sustainable nuclear decommissioning.
The strategy outlines how the NDA group will execute safe nuclear decommissioning at the U.K.’s legacy sites, a program of work spanning several decades, which will protect people and the environment for generations to come.
Since the last NDA strategy was published in 2021, significant progress has been made, including the completion of reprocessing operations at Sellafield, the development of a new national radioactive waste disposal policy, support for the government in finalizing and publishing the plutonium disposition policy, and the establishment of the NDA group model.
In its draft strategy, the NDA reaffirms its highest strategic priority of hazard reduction at Sellafield. Risk reduction will focus on the safe retrieval of waste from the site’s legacy ponds and silos, which pose the most complex challenges in the U.K.’s nuclear clean-up mission.
By 2050, the NDA group intends to have made significant progress across its nuclear decommissioning objectives, including:
- Delicensing most of the former Magnox reactor sites
- Repackaging a proportion of the U.K.’s plutonium stockpile and initiating its conversion into a disposable form
- Establishing new waste storage centers
- Identifying a suitable site for a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF)
- Enabling land to be reused for future development opportunities
David Peattie is the NDA Group CEO. He said: “This refreshed strategy sets a clear, ambitious, and credible path for the next phase of our important national mission. Our strategic principles remain firm, we’ll always put the mission first, make decisions based on the best available waste treatment and disposal options, act proportionately and will make best use of our people and capabilities to maximize delivery.”
This fifth NDA strategy update is an evolution, building on the foundation of the 2021 strategy, maintaining focus on the four strategic themes that support the nuclear decommissioning mission.
Supporting the four strategic themes are critical enablers, which establish the environment for successful mission delivery, such as research, development, and innovation, as well as people, transport, and cybersecurity.
These have been reviewed and refined to better reflect what it takes to support the mission. Notably, sustainability is now a core principle running throughout, rather than a standalone critical enabler, reflecting its growing importance in shaping the strategy.
The NDA draft strategy also marks a shift towards greater integration and collaboration across the NDA group to enhance efforts to address the U.K.’s nuclear legacy.
The new model allows closer strategic alignment and better sharing of knowledge and resources, which delivers enhanced performance and increased value for money.
Beyond decommissioning, the NDA strategy also emphasizes the broader role of the NDA group in the U.K.’s nuclear future as the sector’s enduring foundational organization, sharing expertise, developing skills, shaping policy, and supporting clean energy and defense ambitions across Government and industry.
The public consultation is open for twelve weeks until the 29th of September 2025. Responses will be carefully reviewed in the development of the final strategy, which will be submitted for approval to the U.K. and Scottish Governments ahead of its final publication in March 2026.