Policy paper

CoRWM proposed programme of work 2024 (accessible version)

Published 22 November 2024

1. Introduction from the Chair

I am privileged to be able to present this Work Programme on behalf of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management. 2023/24 was an exceptionally busy year for the Committee and I am sure that 2024/25 will be as lively, not least because of the new waste challenges provided by the growth in domestic nuclear power ambitions and the continuing importance of crucial elements of waste strategy such as the siting process for the geological disposal facility (GDF). 

The Committee currently has eleven members rather than the full twelve as a result of the resignation of Dr Catherine Mackenzie. An appointment process is in train for her replacement.

Through the year, the Committee worked hard to communicate with the various constituencies that it serves, including UK government and the devolved administrations, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), relevant regulators such as  the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency, the nuclear industry,  local authority organisations such as  the Nuclear Legacy Advisory Forum (Nuleaf), various community organisations, and the general public.  We have achieved this goal through in-person open plenaries which also provide the option of joining online, a range of position papers and progress reports and blogs. In addition, we have attended a number of GDF Community Partnership events. Our main aim is to disseminate our work as widely as possible.

Much of 2023/24 was again taken up with examining the progress being made in siting a GDF. Our assessment will be published shortly in the second of a series of annual progress reports. To illustrate the fact that we can quickly respond to topics of contemporary interest, a position paper was published in early 2024 on the implications of managing radioactive waste and spent fuel arising from small and advanced modular reactors, a paper which received wide circulation.  We expect this particular strand of work to continue.

In order to advise and scrutinise to the best of our ability, an important part of our work continues to be to learn and understand how other countries are taking forward their disposal programmes and we have a visit planned to Spain in 2024 that will extend our knowledge of intermediate level waste disposal. In the UK, following on from the visits we made to Dounreay and Hinkley earlier in 2024 we will be undertaking an extended visit to Wylfa.

Important though the GDF siting process undoubtedly is (as evidenced by a forthcoming position paper on an underground rock facility, as well as work on legal and regulatory aspects of the GDF), it is by no means the Committee’s only area of work. We have been involved with numerous other radioactive waste issues. For example, we have continued to attend to various aspects of waste transport, interim storage of higher activity waste, advice to the Scottish Government on a possible revision of its higher activity waste policy and work on the implications for storage and disposal of wastes from new small and advanced modular reactors, as well as responding to a number of UK government policy consultations.

Whatever the issue might be, CoRWM will continue to draw on the varied expertise of its members to provide well-evidenced and robust position papers and to offer appropriate and impartial advice to both government and the public.

Sir Nigel Thrift
Chair, Committee on Radioactive Waste Management

2. Summary

2.1 The Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) is a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), with a remit to provide independent scrutiny and advice on the long-term management of radioactive wastes to Ministers across the UK and to engage and communicate with the public on these matters. The Committee normally consists of a Chair and 11 experts from various fields related to radioactive waste management.

2.2 CoRWM is sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Scottish Government (SG), Welsh Government (WG) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland.

2.3 This Work Programme sets out CoRWM’s work plans and budget for the next year. CoRWM updates this document annually. It has been agreed by our sponsors. CoRWM’s financial and working year begins on 1st April and ends on 31st March.

2.4 This document also describes: the Committee’s background and remit; its methods of working and enablers; and its priorities and proposed deliverables for 2024 to 2025.

2.5 A good part of the Committee’s work this year will again be focussed on activities related to the siting process for the GDF which involves evaluating Nuclear Waste Services’ (NWS) processes, particularly in respect of community engagement and the efficacy of an underground research facility (URF).

2.6 The Committee also works on broader radioactive waste issues, including: scrutiny of the storage, characterisation and classification of radioactive waste; delving further into the nature of the wastes from small modular and advanced modular reactors; advising the Scottish Government on policy for near-surface near-site waste management and disposal; and examining the management and disposition of spent fuel and nuclear materials.

2.7 The current membership of CoRWM is given at Annex B.

3. Background to Our Work

3.1 CoRWM was established in 2003 as part of the UK government’s Managing Radioactive Waste Safely (MRWS) programme. Its initial remit was to oversee a review of the options for the long-term management of the UK’s higher activity radioactive waste (HAW) and to recommend an option (or combination of options) to government. CoRWM reported in July 2006 (CoRWM doc. 700) and government responded in October 2006, accepting most of CoRWM’s recommendations. CoRWM’s principal recommendation described geological disposal as the best available approach to the long-term management of higher activity waste and recommended progressing as soon as practicable.

3.2 In October 2007, CoRWM was reconstituted to provide continued independent scrutiny and advice to the UK government and the devolved administrations on the longer-term management of radioactive waste, including storage and disposal.

3.3 CoRWM also advises the devolved administrations of Scotland and Wales on their radioactive waste policies and Northern Ireland when requested, including where they differ from that of the UK government as, for example, the Scottish Government’s policy of near-site near-surface storage and disposal of higher activity waste (HAW).^{[footnote 1]}

3.4 Another important part of CoRWM’s mission is communication to the general public of how radioactive waste can be managed safely and securely.

3.5 CoRWM’s current Framework Document is available on gov.uk.^{[footnote 2]}

3.6 Though CoRWM’s membership and remit have changed over the years, CoRWM members continue to conclude unanimously that geological disposal is the best available approach to safely manage the most hazardous radioactive waste for the long-term and prevent it from becoming a financial and environmental burden to future generations.

4. How We Work

4.1 The Committee formulates its key advice and takes decisions by consensus in plenary session.  It has normally held four open plenary meetings each year that the public can attend. The Committee also holds four closed plenary meetings to take evidence and enable discussions with government officials as well as an interim closed plenary meeting during the summer which allows it to catch up on any fast-moving issues and review outstanding business.

4.2 The Committee provides its advice through a variety of methods. Members’ views on some issues may be communicated in person or as commentary on documents. Feedback is provided to key stakeholders such as NWS and NDA via presentations and regular workshops. More complex issues will often require the consensus of the Committee through discussion at closed plenary meetings and may be presented in a formal letter or report with recommendations.

4.3 CoRWM Doc. 3394 sets out a new system of categorising CoRWM advice. It describes how CoRWM Position Papers and CoRWM Recommendations always constitute a consensus committee view, where CoRWM Advice Notes always constitute the view of a subgroup unless clearly stated otherwise.

Table 1: Categories of CoRWM Advice

Category	Examples	Default level of consensus required
“Recommendation”		Consensus view of committee
Report	Consultation response, technical report, position paper	Consensus view of committee
Note	Advice note, meeting note, summary note	Consensus view of subgroup unless stated otherwise
Comments	Document comments, emails, meeting minutes	Consensus view of the subgroup unless stated otherwise

4.4 Much of the work of the Committee is carried out by 6 subgroups. Each subgroup focuses on an area of interest or aspect of a government or Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) radioactive waste management programme, and contains members with relevant knowledge, skills and experience. The membership and focus of these subgroups are given in Annex C.

4.5 The Chairs of the subgroups are responsible for preparing work plans to meet the requirements set out in this work programme. Subgroup chairs must also ensure the work of the subgroup is reported to the Committee in order for the Committee to formulate its advice.

CoRWM’s Funding and Time Allocation

Table 2: CoRWM budget estimates 2024-25^{[footnote 3]}. (This is an indicative budget, subject to annual budget settlement with DESNZ)

Item	Budget (£) 2024-2025
Members’ Fees	226690
Accommodation, Travel, Subsistence, Visits	63310
Total	290000

Table 3: CoRWM members time allocations for 2024-25 by role

CoRWM Role	Indicative time allocation for role (days)	Number of Members in role	Total indicative time allocation for role (days)
Chair	78	1	78
Deputy Chair	49	2	98
Subgroup Chair	49	6	294
Member	49	3	147
All CoRWM Roles		12[footnote 4]	617

CoRWM Stakeholders

4.6 CoRWM engages with a wide variety of stakeholders to ensure that CoRWM members have up-to-date information and access to a broad range of views.

4.7 In developing this work programme, the Committee consulted the following groups for their feedback:

• The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
• Scottish Government
• Welsh Government
• Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA)
• Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)
• Nuclear Waste Services (NWS)

4.8 The proposed indicative 2024-25 work programme reflects the comments that were received.

5. Our Tasks and Focus

Our Work Areas for 2024-2025. For further details see Annex A.

5.1 Much of CoRWM’s work has been and will be focused on activities related to the process for seeking a suitable location for a GDF, a process that was launched in December 2018 in England and January 2019 in Wales. CoRWM will continue to scrutinise and advise on the documentation, technical challenges, and implementation of these policies, as well as commenting on NWS’s community engagement and siting process, and advising communities as and when needed. CoRWM will produce its second annual GDF progress report this year. The first report is published on gov.uk.^{[footnote 5]}

5.2 This year, CoRWM will also be involved in many other dimensions of radioactive waste policy and implementation, including:

• Advice to the Scottish Government on their near-surface near-site storage and disposal policy for HAW as well as advice to the Welsh Government as and when needed. The Committee has not allocated a specific task regarding Northern Ireland. The Committee will continue to provide advice to Northern Ireland at the Northern Ireland Executive’s request

• Reviewing the NDA’s assumptions and strategy for managing the majority of radioactive wastes in the UK, especially its implementation of the UK’s risk-informed approach and the possibilities presented by NDA’s work in exploring near surface disposal for intermediate level waste. It is also involved in work on the implications of long-term interim storage of radioactive waste, spent fuel and nuclear materials.

• Considering the nature of radioactive waste outputs from small modular reactors (SMRs), and also advanced modular reactors (AMRs), particularly those which would generate novel wastes and spent fuels.

5.3 CoRWM will continue to undertake outreach activities, including with those communities involved in the GDF siting process.

5.4 Collaboration across the Committee and its subgroups will continue, with consensus sought in quarterly plenary meetings.

5.5 The scope of this indicative work programme is built on the assumption that current levels of Secretariat support will continue to be put in place. The Committee is supported by a small team within the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Annex A: Work Areas, Tasks and Deliverables for 2024-25

Table 5 Provides a description of each proposed Work Area for 2024-25, together with specific tasks and indicative deliverables or records.

Some of these will produce new CoRWM documents, and some reflect ongoing stakeholder engagement in key areas of focus.  In addition, CoRWM will produce an Annual Report for 2023-24 for publication in summer 2024 and provide ad hoc advice when requested or where it deems it appropriate to bring particular issues to the attention of its sponsors.

Table 5: Proposed work areas, tasks and indicative deliverables for 2024-25

Work Area	Tasks and Deliverables
1. Scrutiny of and advice to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Welsh Government, NDA and NWS on communication strategy and activities related to the implementation of Working with Communities policy, and related GDF and engagement documents, and also in relation to the near surface disposal for intermediate level waste concept.	1A To scrutinise implementation of the Working with Communities policies in England and Wales.
	1B To act as a source of independent information to communities in the geological disposal facility siting process and the wider public.
	1C To engage with other CoRWM subgroups to ensure a focus on community engagement across the full range of CoRWM’s work.
	1D Scrutiny and provision of advice to NWS on public engagement and communication of the GDF safety case in collaboration with other CoRWM sub-groups.
	1E Inform and update NWS/NDA of the ways in which social sciences and humanities research can support their mission.
2. Scrutiny of and advice to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and NWS on the GDF siting process, including technical evaluation criteria & plans for site investigation and characterisation.	2A Scrutiny of and advice to the Department for Energy Security and Net zero and NWS on technical site evaluation approach. This includes site selection criteria, methods of investigation (including data sampling and testing regimes), and timescales for carrying out site selection in different rock types
	2B Scrutiny and provision of advice to Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and NWS on activities relating to the continued development of a GDF safety case and the role of a URF. This includes reviewing CoRWM’s previous position in relation to URFs.
	2C Provision of advice to Working Groups and Community Partnerships involved in the GDF siting process
3. Scrutiny of and advice to the Department for Energy Security Net Zero and NWS on activities related to GDF licensing and the implementation of the Geological Disposal programme	3A General scrutiny and advice to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and NWS on legal, regulatory, and planning and permitting issues in relation to the geological disposal programme.
	3B Legal and regulatory issues involved in the development of an inshore GDF beneath the seabed but accessed from land.
	3C Legal and regulatory issues involved in the development of a possible URF, including producing a report on this in collaboration with subgroup 2
	3D Legal and regulatory issues involved in exploring the near surface disposal (NSD) concept for Intermediate Level Waste (ILW).
	3E Legal regulatory or policy issues arising from radioactive waste streams located in Scotland (in conjunction with Work Area / Subgroup 4).
	3F Legal issues relevant to the Working with Communities siting process as it progresses.
	3G Legal, regulatory and planning permitting aspects of radioactive waste transport to a GDF.
4. Scrutiny of and advice to the Scottish Government (SG) on the management of radioactive waste in Scotland.	4A Advice and input into the review of the Higher Activity Waste Radioactive Waste Policy 2011 and its associated Higher Activity Radioactive Waste Implementation Strategy 2016. SG4 will work through the Higher Activity Waste in Scotland Strategy Implementation Group (HAWSSIG) to inform the 2011 Policy and 2016 Implementation Strategy review currently taking place, advising on concepts and options for Near Surface Storage and Disposal options and sharing any associated cross-nation knowledge.
	4B Scrutiny of and advice to the Scottish Government on the management of radioactive waste in Scotland.
5. Welsh Government (WG) activities	5A Scrutiny of and advice to the Welsh Government on the management of radioactive waste in Wales. With particular emphasis on considering Trawsfynydd as a “lead and learn” site
	5B Provide advice on likely management of radioactive waste issues with possible development of SMRs or AMRs at sites in Wales.
	5C Site visit to Wylfa site to discuss waste storage and decommissioning issues and waste issues arising from the potential siting of a large reactor and/or SMRs or AMRs.
6. Scrutiny of and advice to the Department for Energy and Net Zero and NDA on the management of radioactive waste, spent fuel and nuclear materials that may be destined for disposal	6A Monitoring and providing advice on NDA Integrated Waste Management developments including boundary wastes, difficult wastes in Scotland, and strategic direction.
	6B To scrutinise and advise DESNZ and NDA on the potential for near surface disposal of some less hazardous ILW.
	6C To advise on the implications of a UK programme of SMRs and AMRs for radioactive waste management. Including specifically, (i)Preparing a report on ‘waste burning’ reactors and their implications for geological disposal, (ii)Provide advice to the UK government on the waste and spent fuel arising from High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGRs).
	6D To prepare a report on interim storage of higher activity radioactive waste in the UK.

Annex B: CoRWM Members

Chair: Sir Nigel Thrift

Sir Nigel Thrift was appointed Chair of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management on 2nd July 2018.

Until 2017, Sir Nigel was the Executive Director of Schwarzman Scholars.

Sir Nigel previously served as Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Warwick and as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Oxford.

He is one of the world’s leading human geographers and social scientists. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and a Visiting Professor at Oxford University and Tsinghua University. He is a Deputy Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands.

Current term of office ends: July 2026

Deputy Chair: Penny Harvey

Penny Harvey is Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Manchester.

Penny has an extensive history of research on the social transformations of large-scale infrastructure projects, with a particular focus on the relationship between local communities, government agencies and corporate bodies.

She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (UK), and an elected member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

Current term of office ends: November 2027

Deputy Chair: Derek Lacey

Derek is a mechanical engineer with nearly forty years’ experience of public service related to nuclear technology.

He was a Director at the International Atomic Energy Agency from 2014 to 2019 and previously held senior roles as Deputy Chief Inspector in the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and Head of Nuclear and Radioactive Waste Management Policy at the UK Department for Energy and Climate Change.

Current term of office ends: November 2027

Member: Claire Corkhill

Claire is Professor of Mineralogy and Radioactive Waste Management in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol.

With an academic background in both geology and materials science and engineering, she has over 10 years of experience in researching radioactive waste degradation in geological environments. She has held research fellowships in both the UK and Japan and leads research efforts at the South West Nuclear Hub towards underpinning the disposal of radioactive wastes in subsurface facilities.

Claire is an enthusiastic science communicator and has made numerous media and public appearances in relation to radioactive waste disposal and nuclear decommissioning.

Current term of office ends: January 2028

Member: Clare Bond

Clare Bond is a Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Aberdeen. She has academic, industry, policy and third sector experience spanning a 20+ year career.

Clare specialises in understanding biases and uncertainties in subsurface data interpretation; as well as rock deformation and fluid flow in the Earth’s crust. She applies her research to a range of subsurface challenges including CO2 and nuclear waste storage.

Clare is interested in the communication of science and engineered subsurface solutions, and the engagement of the public.

Current term of office ends: January 2029

Member: Ray Kemp

Ray Kemp has been a Member of the Advisory Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Foods, Consumer Products and the Environment (COC) Public Interest Representative at the UK Department of Health and Social Care from 2013.

In the past, he has worked as an adviser to the Independent Advisory Panel (IAP) for the Australian National Radioactive Waste Management Facility Project.

He has also worked as a Member, then Chair, of the Radiation Health and Safety Advisory Council of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) between 2012 and 2015.

Current term of office ends: November 2027

Member: Mark Kirkbride

Mark Kirkbride has more than 30 years’ experience of underground construction techniques, geotechnical and rock mechanics and project delivery. 

He has been the Chief Executive Officer of West Cumbria Mining since 2014, having previously worked in a wide range of senior roles in the mining, engineering, construction and tunnelling industries.

Mark has relevant experience in the design, planning and construction of complex underground projects, together with extensive stakeholder engagement, community relations and large-scale geotechnical exploration programmes.

Mark is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, a Chartered Engineer and holds a degree in mining engineering and a research masters in geomechanics (underground machine rock cutting).  He was formerly a member of the active British Tunnelling Society committee.

Current term of office ends: November 2027

Member: Stephen Tromans

Stephen Tromans KC is a barrister practising at 39 Essex Chambers, London.

He was Joint Head of Chambers from 2011-2015. He was worked as an academic at Cambridge (1981-1987) and as a solicitor (1987-1999). He became a barrister in 1999 and was appointed King’s Counsel in 2009.

His area of specialism is environmental, energy natural resources and planning law. He has extensive experience of advising companies and government and representing them in court and at public inquiries. He has a particular focus on nuclear law and is the author of the leading text, “Nuclear Law”. He is also the author of leading works on environmental impact assessment and contaminated land and has spoken and written widely on these topics.

He has been a member of the UK Environmental Law Association (UKELA) since its formation in 1986 and has been Chair and a Council member of UKELA. He is also a member of the International Nuclear Law Association (INLA) and a director of INLA UK. From 1994-2002 he was a Council Member of English Nature, the predecessor of Natural England and from 2010-2014 was the Chair of the Environmental Law Foundation (ELF).

Current term of office ends: November 2026

Member: Catherine MacKenzie

Dr Catherine MacKenzie is a barrister
and legal academic.

She is a member of the Faculty of Law of the University of Cambridge, Dean of Degrees of Green Templeton, University of Oxford, and Governing Master of the Bench of Inner Temple (Inn of Court).

Catherine has 25 years’ experience in nuclear law, energy law and international environmental law, including experience with the United Nations, the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, in which she advised on major international energy and infrastructure projects.

Term of office ended: March 2024

Member: Simon Webb

Simon Webb CBE, FICE, specialises in major programmes and strategic change.

An Executive Director at Nichols Group, he has led their work on nuclear decommissioning and warships for the last 10 years, at sites in England, Scotland and Wales. Simon was a non-executive Director of the Major Projects Association from 2010 to 2021.

He is a member of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems.

Previously Simon was a Director-General in the Department of Transport and the Ministry of Defence, responsible for major projects and security policy.

Current term of office ends: January 2029

Member: Malcom Joyce

Malcolm Joyce was appointed to the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) in June 2023.

Malcolm is currently a Distinguished Professor of Nuclear Engineering and interim Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise at Lancaster University. With an academic background in radiation detection and nuclear materials assay, he has over 30 years’ experience in researching techniques for nuclear waste assay and decommissioning. He was Head of Engineering at Lancaster (2008-2015) and leads a team of 10 researchers focused on new measurement methods for radioactivity. 

He is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the Nuclear Institute, a recipient of a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award and author of ‘Nuclear Engineering: A Conceptual Guide to Nuclear Power’.

Current term of office ends: June 2027

Member: Barry Lennox

Barry is Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Professor of Applied Control and Nuclear Engineering Decommissioning at The University of Manchester.

He holds a Royal Academy Chair in Emerging Technologies and is the Co-Director of the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Collaboration (RAICo) in Cumbria, which aims to develop technology that will lead to the greater adoption of robotics in the nuclear decommissioning industry.

He is Co-Director of the University of Manchester’s Centre for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence and has been responsible for the deployment of a range of robotic systems into radioactive facilities in the UK and overseas.

Current term of office ends: July 2027

Annex C: Glossary of Terms

Term	Description
AMR	Advanced Modular Reactor
EA	Environment Agency
GDF	Geological Disposal Facility
HAW	Higher Activity Waste
ILW	Intermediate Level Waste
NIE	Northern Ireland Executive
NSD	Near Surface Disposal
NWS	Nuclear Waste Services
NDA	Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
NDPB	Non-Departmental Public Body
NWS	Nuclear Waste Services
ONR	The Office for Nuclear Regulation
SG	Scottish Government
SMR	Small Modular Reactor
URF	Underground Research Facility
WG	Welsh Government
WWC	Working With Communities (the policy)

1. For the purposes of Scottish HAW policy, HAW includes: (1) Radioactive waste defined in current UK categorisations as Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) (2) Intermediate Level Waste is waste which has radioactivity levels exceeding the upper boundaries for Low Level Waste and which does not generate enough heat for this to need to be taken into account in the design of treatment or storage or disposal facilities. ↩

2. www.gov.uk/government/publications/committee-on-radioactive-waste-management-framework-document ↩

3. These figures are indicative and the actual financial allocation will depend on future spending settlements. ↩

4. Actual number of members may vary due to membership changes and new appointments in progress. ↩

5. www.gov.uk/government/publications/delivery-of-an-operational-geological-disposal-facility-gdf-progress-report-2023 ↩