The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is responsible for the decommissioning and cleanup of legacy nuclear sites in the United Kingdom (UK). Its mission is to complete the cleanup of UK legacy nuclear sites and release them for beneficial reuse. This mission is complex, involving hundreds of facilities across 17 sites across the UK, and is expected to take over 100 years to complete and is estimated to cost in excess of £120 billion to deliver. This session will share some of the experience and learning that has been accumulated in the UK, and that is now informing the NDA’s national approach to delivering the remediation and cleanup of its sites. 

Policy, Legislation, and Regulation

The challenges of delivering cleanup on nuclear sites compared to non-nuclear sites in the UK will be explored, and of working within a legislative and regulatory framework designed primarily for nuclear site operations rather than decommissioning and cleanup. It will provide the latest on developments in UK policy relating to decommissioning and the revised regulatory regime for final stage decommissioning and cleanup that the NDA has been helping to develop. These changes are looking to enable earlier delicensing than hitherto. 

Site Case Studies

The approach NDA has taken to the determination of site end-states, working nationally and locally, will be illustrated through a range of case studies from across its sites. This will include the use of a component approach to help prioritize and focus cleanup work at Dounreay in Scotland, the consideration of on-site disposal at the Trawsfynydd site in Wales, and the challenges of determining the fate of off-site pipelines at Winfrith in England.

Timeline (Pacific Time)

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Dounreay was the UK site for the development of fast reactor research from 1955 to 1994. It supported a Materials Test Reactor, 2 demonstration fast reactors, as well as nuclear fuel fabrication and reprocessing facilities. It also supported commercial MTR fuel reprocessing and fabrication around the world, resulting in a range of nuclear and non-nuclear legacies, including exotic fuels, nuclear materials, and historic ILW and LLW disposal facilities. 
  
Trawsfynydd is a decommissioned Magnox reactor site located in Snowdonia National Park in central Wales. The plant, which became operational in 1965, was the only nuclear power plant to be built inland. It closed in 1991, and decommissioning was expected to take almost 100 years. A change in the NDA’s decommissioning strategy for its reactors now means that decommissioning is taking place at a greater pace than previously envisaged, and plans are now being explored for the development of the land adjacent to the site for a small modular reactor.  
  
Winfrith was a center for nuclear research and development, opened in 1957. Activities on the site included the development of the prototype high gas-cooled reactor and the Steam Generating Heavy Water Reactor, which provided enough electricity to the National Grid to power a small town. Later the site also diversified into other disciplines, such as safety testing and oil exploration. Preparations are now starting for the removal of the Winfrith sea discharge pipeline – an underground sea discharge pipeline that is approximately 13km in length, 9km of which is terrestrial and 4 km of which is marine. Ongoing characterization work and landowner discussions will determine the final strategy for each section of the pipeline.

Biographies

  Moderators

	Juliet Long is the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s chief strategist for Site Decommissioning and Remediation, leading national strategy development for the clean-up of the UK’s civil nuclear liabilities. She has over 25 years experience of working in the nuclear industry - as an operator, regulator, liability owner and in government. _________________________________________________
Frank Wigley UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority	Frank Wigley is the remediation strategy manager at the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. _________________________________________________

Speakers

	Juliet Long is the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s chief strategist for Site Decommissioning and Remediation, leading national strategy development for the clean-up of the UK’s civil nuclear liabilities. She has over 25 years experience of working in the nuclear industry - as an operator, regulator, liability owner and in government.   _________________________________________________
	Adam Draude is a senior policy advisor on nuclear decommissioning in the UK Government Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. His work involves the development of government policy, and legislation, related to the decommissioning process and the safe management of wastes arising. _________________________________________________
	Malcolm Peters is a Senior Nuclear Regulator with the Environment Agency and coordinates its projects investigating the regulation of nuclear site remediation. Malcolm has over 20 years of experience in regulation and policy development covering contaminated land, groundwater protection and waste management and radioactive substances. _________________________________________________
	Alex Proverbio is a senior environmental specialist at NRS. His focus is the GRR implementation at the Dounreay site, including the site waste management plan, the site-wide environmental safety case and maintaining the strategic integrity of the site end state at Dounreay. _________________________________________________
	Ellanor Joyce is an end state manager for NRS sites in the UK and is responsible for delivering end states strategy and permissions for former nuclear sites. Ellanor has 20 years of experience working in nuclear safety cases, environmental protection, and radioactive waste management.
	Patrick Higgins is the compliance and end state programme manager at NRS.