The 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 carry out safe nuclear decommissioning at the UK’s legacy sites, a programme of work spanning several decades, which will protect people and the environment for generations to come.
Since the last 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 policy, support for the government in finalising 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, focusing on the safe retrieval of waste from the site’s legacy ponds and silos, which pose the most complex challenges in the UK’s nuclear clean-up mission.
The NDA’s nuclear decommissioning mission
By 2050, the NDA group aims to have made significant progress across its nuclear decommissioning objectives, including:
- Delicensing most of the former Magnox reactor sites
- Repackaging a proportion of the UK’s plutonium stockpile and initiating its conversion into a disposable form
- Establishing new waste storage centres
- Identifying a suitable site for a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF)
- Enabling land to be reused for future development opportunities
NDA Group CEO David Peattie 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 maximise delivery.”
What will it take to deliver this mission?
This fifth strategy update is an evolution, building on the foundation of the 2021 strategy, maintaining focus on the four strategic themes that underpin the nuclear decommissioning mission.
Supporting the 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 deliver the mission. Notably, sustainability is now embedded as a core principle running throughout, rather than a standalone critical enabler, reflecting its growing importance in shaping the strategy.
The draft strategy also marks a shift towards greater integration and collaboration across the NDA group to strengthen efforts to address the UK’s nuclear legacy.
The new model enables closer strategic alignment and better sharing of knowledge and resources, which delivers enhanced performance and increased value for money.
A bright future for the UK nuclear sector
Beyond decommissioning, the strategy also highlights the broader role of the NDA group in the UK’s nuclear future as the sector’s enduring foundational organisation, sharing expertise, developing skills, shaping policy, and supporting clean energy and defence ambitions across Government and industry.
The public consultation is open for 12 weeks until 29 September 2025. Responses will be carefully considered in the development of the final strategy, which will be submitted for approval to the UK and Scottish Governments ahead of its final publication in March 2026.
