Introduction

This report provides a summary as to how each of the organisations in the NDA group is performing against the key activities and milestones set out in the 2024-27 NDA Business Plan (available on gov.uk). The performance of Urenco Nuclear Stewardship Ltd and Springfields Fuels Ltd is also included due to their role in decommissioning our sites at Capenhurst and Springfields.

In addition to the activities set out in the NDA Business Plan, this report provides an update on the highest priority targets for the group to achieve in 2024/25, our Group Key Targets. Progress against these targets is reported to the NDA Board and UK Government on a monthly basis.

Group Key Targets 2024/25

There are 21 Group Key Targets for this financial year across operations and projects, covering targets specific to our Operating Companies as well as group-wide targets.

Status		Number of targets
Completed	Target achieved	0
On Target	Target on schedule	15
At Risk	Target at risk of being missed	5
Missed	Target missed	1

Target	Operating company	Target description	Mid-Year status	Commentary
Operations
1	Sellafield	AGR Spent Fuel Dismantling	On Track
2	Sellafield	HLW Vitrification Plant Throughput	On Track
3	Sellafield	MSSS ILW transfers (3m3 boxes)	Missed	The facility has experienced issues with crane performance which have impacted the ability to retrieve and export waste from the facility.
4	Sellafield	Pile Fuel Cladding Silo (PFCS) transfers to BEPPS-DIF	At Risk	Final checks for the return to service of the PFCS retrievals operations are ongoing with RTS planned for October. Remaining risks are associated with the outcome of statutory inspections of the Waste Retrievals Crane and wider retrievals plant start up following outage.
5	NRS	Sites: ILW retrievals and transfer to storage and Nuclear Material transports	On Track
6	NRS	Dounreay: LLW & ILW disposal and LLW Diversion	On Track
Projects
7	Sellafield	Deliver to schedule on SCP, SRP and BEP major projects	On Track
8	Sellafield	Legacy Ponds basket of measures	At Risk	D Bay high Performance Pump Installation is at risk due to delays with the maintenance outage. Extended hours and weekend working is planned to commence to recover this position. The ‘25 Units Delivered’ is at risk due to a problem that has materialised with a zeolite skip fitting.
9	NRS	Sites: Deliver key milestones on construction and decommissioning projects	On Track
10	NRS	Dounreay: Deliver key milestones on construction and decommissioning projects	On Track
11	NWS	GDF Site Evaluation - Development of Community visions	On Track
12	NWS	IWMP Reset	At Risk	At risk due to the LLW consignments by the OpCos being behind plan.
13	Group-Wide	Group Cyber Security	On Track
14	Group-Wide	Sustainability - Carbon Reduction	On Track
15	Group-Wide	Spending Effectively	At Risk	At risk as not all operating companies have a clear plan for delivery for the in-year efficiency challenge.
16	Group-Wide	Beacon Project: Group Planning Capability	On Track
17	Group-Wide	Beacon Project: Mitigation of Asset Degradation	On Track
18	Group-Wide	Beacon Project: Group AI Strategy	On Track
19	Group-Wide	Beacon Project: Improving Project and Contract Adherence through Learning	At Risk	At risk due to challenges to deliver milestones within budgetary and resource constraints. Mitigations are being sought and budget approval is expected.
20	Group-Wide	Beacon Project: Skills	On Track
21	NRS	AGR Transfers to NDA: MoC and Hunterston B site licence application	On Track

Business Plan key activities and milestones

NDA

The NDA is an executive non-departmental public body created by the Energy Act 2004 to lead the clean-up and decommissioning work at the NDA’s 17 sites on behalf of government. The NDA is sponsored and funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

Summary:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2024/25	2
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	29
Behind schedule	The activity is delayed and currently forecast for completion behind schedule	1
Missed	The activity was due for completion during the financial year 2024/25 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

The key activities that have been completed, missed or deferred during 2024/25 are as follows:

Key activities	Strategic outcome	Timescale	Status	Commentary
Site Decommissioning and Remediation
Reviewing and establishing new guidance on the selection of decommissioning strategies, including our approach to prioritisation	42, 43	2024-2027	Completed
Critical Enablers
Build commercial capability which maintains a resilient, sustainable, diverse, ethical and innovative supply chain that optimises value for money for the UK taxpayer when sourcing goods and services	CE8	2024-2027	Behind Schedule	There is a challenging commercial labour-market, which has resulted in areas of under resourcing. Work is ongoing to address.
Implement Government led reforms of public sector pensions across the NDA group	-	2024-2027	Completed

Sellafield Limited

 

Sellafield Limited is an NDA subsidiary, responsible for delivering the NDA mission, through operating and decommissioning Europe’s largest and most complex nuclear site. This includes cleaning up nuclear facilities and safeguarding nuclear fuel, materials, and waste - creating a clean and safe environment for future generations.

Summary:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2024/25	2
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	37
Behind schedule	The activity is delayed and currently forecast for completion behind schedule	6
Missed	The activity was due for completion during the financial year 2024/25 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

The key activities that have been completed, missed or deferred during 2024/25 are as follows:

Key activities	Strategic outcome	Timescale	Status	Commentary
Integrated Waste Management
Intermediate Level Waste
Support risk reduction from legacy ponds through continued removal of fuel and waste from the facilities	27	2024-2027	Behind Schedule	Installation of the high performance pump will enable an increase in sludge yield per batch and return to service of capability (performance forecast to be demonstrated by Q2 2025). High Performance pump installation planned for this FY and the restart of D Bay Operations remains a priority.
Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS) - Continue retrievals from MSSS - Progress the capability required for bulk retrievals - Delivery of tasks within the MSSS containment response plan	31	2024-2027	On Schedule	MSSS retrievals for this financial year are behind plan but overall completion remains within the ranges agreed with the regulators through their key decommissioning milestones. However, waste retrievals have only just commenced and therefore the forward plan contains a significant number of assumptions which need to be underpinned by operational data to confirm the longer-term plan.
Continue retrievals from Pile Fuel Cladding Silo (PFCS)	31	2024-2027	Behind Schedule	Maintenance outage on the Skip Handling Machine (SHM) continues to address the additional defects requiring resolution and statutory inspection. Return to service is planned for Period 12. The Programme is at risk of not exporting all fuel and fuel bearing material by 2026 due to increasing concern at the long-term health of the SHM for which all PFSP exports are dependent and an assessment into alternative mechanical handling to reduce/remove dependence on the SHM is being initiated.
High level waste
Continue the programme to repatriate overseas-owned vitrified waste to its country of origin	38	2024-2027	Behind schedule	Returns programme driven by customers and extends to FY 2029 minimum.
Support risk reduction through the continued vitrification of highly active liquor	38	2024-2027	Behind schedule	A throughput and impact assessment paper has been through the Sellafield’s governance. This paper reflected the extension to the HAL programme to 2039 (including completion of POCO liquor washout).
In collaboration with Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) Sellafield Ltd will support the Higher Activity Waste Thermal Treatment (HAWTT) Strategic Case for Change (SCfC)	36, 37, 39	2024-2025	Completed
Critical Enablers
Apprentice training contract mobilisation and transition to support a range of apprenticeships at Sellafield Limited from September 2024		2024-2025	Completed
Continue the programme to ensure the analytical services capability is available to support the mission		2024-2027	Behind Schedule	Due to current pause of RAP and pending decision/revised strategy, the long-term impact is TBC. Mitigations being pursued to ensure continued service provision.
Continue to progress the land programme to ensure Sellafield Limited has the land and property available (and this is optimised appropriately) to deliver the mission		2024-2027	Behind Schedule	In year funding pressurisation and aligning to major project latest schedules impacted progress, however it’s envisaged there will be no impact on critical path.

Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS)

Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) was launched in October 2023 as the new brand for Magnox Ltd. This operating company is structured into two delivery businesses - the sites delivery business, which includes the 12 sites previously known as Magnox, and the Dounreay delivery business.

NRS is responsible for the safe delivery of value for money decommissioning and restoration of nuclear sites ensuring all our futures are safe, secure and sustainable.

NRS Dounreay Delivery Business

Dounreay is Scotland’s largest decommissioning project, located in the north of Scotland.

For more than 50 years it was known as the centre of the UK’s fast reactor research and development and now the team is aiming to be recognised as a centre of excellence for nuclear decommissioning.

NRS Dounreay Delivery Business is responsible for decommissioning the Dounreay site. It also operates a Low Level Waste (LLW) disposal facility to deal with waste from the site. The Lifetime Plan for decommissioning the site is currently under review.

Summary:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2024/25	0
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	14
Behind schedule	The activity is delayed and currently forecast for completion behind schedule	5
Missed	The activity was due for completion during the financial year 2024/25 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	1

The key activities that have been completed, missed or deferred during 2024/25 are as follows:

Key activities	Strategic outcome	Timescale	Status	Commentary
Spent Fuel
DFR - complete removal of in reactor DFR breeder fuel and transfer to interim storage	11	2024-2027	Behind Schedule	Early activities to deliver this work were impacted by a delay in maintenance due to Industrial Action, and subsequent non-availability of cranes. A recovery plan for returning to threshold is being developed.
Integrated Waste Management
Complete LLW stores decant phase 2	27	2024-2025	Behind Schedule	Verification work is required to take place on inventory, currently scheduled to be carried out in FY26.
PFR raffinate immobilisation complete	32	2024-2027	Behind Schedule	Scope to deliver this is aligned with the contractor’s programme delaying the completion of early enabling work.
DCP ILW stores active commissioning and handover to operations	40	2024-2025	Behind Schedule	Delay to delivery due to on-going contractor uncertainties. Forecasting resolution of these in Q4, allowing the project to move forward to schedule.
Site Decommissioning and Remediation
PFR - reactor vessel residual sodium treatment facility actively commissioned and handed over to operations	42	2024-2026	Behind Schedule	Scope has been suspended, to re-allocate resource to higher priority work associated with Regulatory recommendations.
Low Level Waste Pits Environmental Safety Case complete	44	2024-2025	Deferred	Following the implementation of the new Lifetime Plan for Dounreay the baseline completion date for this scope is now March 2041.

NRS Sites Delivery Business

NRS Sites Delivery Business is responsible for decommissioning, restoring, and remediating the ex Magnox sites, and the former research sites at Harwell and Winfrith. This business unit also has one hydro-electric power station, Maentwrog.

The original strategy for the sites was to remediate the hazard to implement a low-cost care and maintenance period from the 2030s. Following the quiescence period, the final structures would be removed. We now have greater experience, better understanding, and up-to-date knowledge.

Summary of enterprise-wide activities:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2024/25	0
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	23
Behind schedule	The activity is delayed and currently forecast for completion behind schedule	0
Missed	The activity was due for completion during the financial year 2024/25 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

Summary of site-specific activities:

Site	Status
	Completed	On schedule	Behind schedule	Missed	Deferred
Berkeley	0	5	0	0	0
Bradwell (in care and maintenance)	0	1	0	0	0
Chapelcross	0	3	0	1	0
Dungeness A	0	5	0	0	0
Harwell	0	8	0	0	0
Hinkley Point A	0	4	0	0	0
Hunterston A	0	6	0	0	0
Oldbury	0	5	0	0	1
Sizewell A	0	5	0	0	0
Trawsfynydd	0	4	0	0	0
Winfrith	1	4	0	0	0
Wylfa	0	3	0	0	0

The key activities that have been completed, missed or deferred during 2024/25 are as follows:

Key activities	Strategic outcome	Timescale	Status	Commentary
Integrated Waste Management
Winfrith – Complete shipments of LLW drums from Treated Radwaste Store to LLWR		2024-2025	Completed
Site Decommissioning and Remediation
Chapelcross – Prepare and execute land remediation of the cooling tower basins	46	2024-2025	Missed	Change in disposal Strategy.
Oldbury – Commence the asbestos removal from the reactor building	42	2024-2027	Deferred	Deferred in line with business planning.

Nuclear Waste Services

Nuclear Waste Services’ (NWS) vision and mission is vitally important to the UK today and for future generations. It’s here to make nuclear waste permanently safe, sooner, and its mission is to become the ‘one-stop shop’ for the management of nuclear waste in the UK.

The creation of NWS in January 2022 brought together the expertise of LLW Repository Ltd (LLWR), Radioactive Waste Management (RWM), and the NDA group’s Integrated Waste Management Programme (IWMP). With a view of the full waste management cycle, its skilled workforce is developing new treatment technologies and services to overcome the challenges of managing and disposing of nuclear waste safely and securely.

Summary:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2024/25	3
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	14
Behind schedule	The activity is delayed and currently forecast for completion behind schedule	0
Missed	The activity was due for completion during the financial year 2024/25 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

The key activities that have been completed, missed or deferred during 2024/25 are as follows:

Key activities	Strategic outcome	Timescale	Status	Commentary
Integrated Waste Management
Establish an innovation partnership for asbestos	27 29 34 39	2024-2027	Completed
Site Decommissioning and Remediation
Complete enabling works for phased construction and start of the final capping work for the LLWR site	42-47	2024-2027	Completed
Critical enablers
Develop and implement a Sustainability strategy		2024-2027	Completed

Nuclear Transport Solutions

Established in 2021, Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS) is a centre of excellence and a strategic UK capability for the transport of radioactive and other critical materials. Delivering our mission relies on being able to transport radioactive materials and other freight safely and sustainably. NTS supports this by transporting spent nuclear fuel from UK power stations to Sellafield, returning reprocessed products to customers overseas, and providing packaging and licensing solutions to the NDA group.

It also generates revenue through commercial opportunities in the UK and overseas – offsetting the cost of delivering decommissioning and clean-up work at the UK’s oldest nuclear sites.

NTS operates Direct Rail Services (DRS) and Pacific Nuclear Transport Ltd (PNTL) to deliver rail and shipping services for customers, building on decades of experience of providing safe, secure and reliable transport solutions.

Summary:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2024/25	0
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	10
Behind schedule	The activity is delayed and currently forecast for completion behind schedule	1
Missed	The activity was due for completion during the financial year 2024/25 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

The key activities that have been completed, missed or deferred during 2024/25 are as follows:

Key activities	Strategic outcome	Timescale	Status	Commentary
Integrated Waste Management
Continue to deliver important international transports of vitrified High Level Waste (HLW) and conditioned Intermediate Level Waste (ILW)	34, 38	2024-2027	Behind Schedule	Japan has confirmed that HLW will be delayed to end 2028. With regard to ILW, consideration is being given to replacing the programme with one or two HLW shipments. German HLW returns are currently scheduled to be completed in 2026.

NDA Archives Limited

NDA Archives is an NDA subsidiary, responsible for Nucleus (the Nuclear and Caithness Archives) and related operational activities across the NDA group. The Nucleus facility is currently operated by a commercial partner and provides the centre of excellence for long-term records management, archive services, digital preservation and heritage management.

Summary:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2024/25	0
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	4
Behind schedule	The activity is delayed and currently forecast for completion behind schedule	1
Missed	The activity was due for completion during the financial year 2024/25 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

The key activities that have been completed, missed or deferred during 2024/25 are as follows:

Key activities	Strategic outcome	Timescale	Status	Commentary
Critical Enablers
Sellafield offsite collection sift completed and ready for accession		2024-2029	Behind schedule	Due to an increased scope and reduced funding, the completion date has moved. Now likely to be 2030/31, but will be re-baselined during 25/26.

NDA Properties Limited

NDA Properties Limited is an NDA subsidiary, holding and managing the majority of the non-nuclear property assets within the NDA group.

Summary:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2024/25	0
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	4
Behind schedule	The activity is delayed and currently forecast for completion behind schedule	0
Missed	The activity was due for completion during the financial year 2024/25 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

Rutherford Indemnity Limited

Rutherford Indemnity Limited provides insurance cover for the NDA group. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary, managed for the NDA by Marsh Management Services Guernsey Limited, and has no direct employees.

Summary:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2024/25	0
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	4
Behind schedule	The activity is delayed and currently forecast for completion behind schedule	0
Missed	The activity was due for completion during the financial year 2024/25 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

Energus

Energus is an NDA subsidiary offering conference and events facilities and a range of training, education and business support services geared to providing and enhancing skills within both the local and national nuclear workforce.

Summary:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2024/25	0
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	6
Behind schedule	The activity is delayed and currently forecast for completion behind schedule	0
Missed	The activity was due for completion during the financial year 2024/25 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

Springfields Fuels Limited

Springfields Fuels Limited (SFL) is owned by Westinghouse Electric UK Holdings Limited. Springfields is a nuclear fuel manufacturing site and is located near Preston in Lancashire. The site is operated by SFL and is used to manufacture a range of fuel products for UK and international customers, the processing of historic uranic residues and decommissioning of redundant facilities.

From April 2010, the NDA permanently transferred ownership of the company to Westinghouse Electric including the ability to invest for the future under the terms of a new 150-year lease. SFL is contracted to provide decommissioning and clean-up services to the NDA to address historic liabilities.

Summary:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2024/25	0
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	2
Behind schedule	The activity is delayed and currently forecast for completion behind schedule	0
Missed	The activity was due for completion during the financial year 2024/25 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

Capenhurst

Urenco Nuclear Stewardship (UNS) is owned by URENCO. The NDA Capenhurst site is located near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire.

In 2012, the site was transferred to URENCO, owners of the adjacent licenced site, and was amalgamated into a single nuclear licensed site. As part of this transfer, URENCO established UNS, formerly known as Capenhurst Nuclear Services (CNS), to provide management of uranic materials and carry out remediation work on behalf of the NDA.

UNS manages a large proportion of the NDA’s uranic inventory and provides broader decommissioning and demolition works for redundant facilities, in order to reduce liability and optimise space utilisation on site.

Summary:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2024/25	0
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	2
Behind schedule	The activity is delayed and currently forecast for completion behind schedule	0
Missed	The activity was due for completion during the financial year 2024/25 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0