Our sites
NRS is responsible for safely decommissioning the first generation nuclear and research sites across the UK and the operation of a hydro-electric plant.
Nuclear Restoration Services is licensed under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965 as the legal entity responsible for the following sites, which are owned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
Berkeley
Berkeley sits on a 16 hectare Site of Special Scientific Interest on the eastern bank of the River Severn in Gloucestershire. It was also home to the pioneering Berkeley research laboratories, which played a key role in advancing the UK’s nuclear expertise.
Following the closure of its reactors in 1989, Berkeley became one of the world’s first commercial nuclear power stations to enter decommissioning - marking a major milestone in the evolution of the nuclear industry.
Today, the site’s focus is on safely retrieving, processing and storing post‑operational intermediate-level waste in a purpose‑built long-term storage facility, while progressively reducing risks and hazards as decommissioning continues.
Bradwell
Bradwell sits on a 20 hectare site on the Essex coastline, and has played a pioneering role in the UK’s nuclear decommissioning mission. Selected in 2009 for accelerated decommissioning, the site made history less than a decade later when it became the first UK nuclear facility to enter ‘care and maintenance’ (C&M) - a landmark moment for the industry.
This achievement followed an extensive programme of groundbreaking decommissioning work, including the removal of all historically stored nuclear wastes and redundant plant, the demolition of ageing buildings and assets, and the safe removal of conventional hazards such as asbestos. New purpose built facilities were constructed to ensure the site remains safe, secure and resilient throughout the C&M period.
Bradwell is remotely managed by the Sizewell A team, who carry out regular maintenance inspections and maintain a 24hour security presence.
Chapelcross
Chapelcross, Scotland’s first commercial nuclear power station, is undergoing one of the region’s most complex decommissioning transformations. Located on a 96 hectare former World War II airfield in Dumfries and Galloway, the site has been safely progressing through decommissioning and hazard reduction work for more than a decade.
Major achievements include the demolition of the four iconic cooling towers and the completion of an eight year asbestos removal programme that paved the way for dismantling further infrastructure.
Today, the team is focused on removing redundant equipment and retrieving and safely storing intermediate level waste in line with Scottish Government policy.
Looking ahead, Chapelcross is set to play a new strategic role in the region. Plans announced in 2024 outline the development of a multimillion-pound green energy hub, positioning the site at the heart of future low carbon innovation and economic growth.
Dounreay
Dounreay, is located at the far north of Scotland and was Britain’s former centre of fast reactor research and development. The experimental nature of many of its redundant facilities means the clean-up and demolition requires innovation as well as great care. The intention is to decommission Dounreay and leave it in a safe condition for future generations. The skills and enterprise it fosters are giving Scottish companies a platform to compete in the global decommissioning market.
Dungeness A
Dungeness A sits on a 20 hectare site at the southern tip of the Kent coastline, surrounded by one of Europe’s largest expanses of shingle and an environment recognised for its exceptional ecological importance.
The area is protected as an Special Protection Area (SPA), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is also home to rare species including the red hemp nettle and the Sussex emerald moth. In partnership with EDF, the Ministry of Defence, Natural England and Butterfly Conservation, NRS is helping to create new breeding habitats by cultivating wild carrot across the site whilst transforming this landmark site.
A flagship project is planned to demolish of the 47metrehigh boiler houses and remove eight 750tonne boilers to reduce the site’s overall footprint by around a third. Preparations are well underway to create a 39,000m² demolition zone and the use of more than 25,000 tonnes of locally sourced material to backfill the turbine hall basement.
Harwell
Harwell, set on a 84 hectare former RAF airfield in Oxfordshire, is widely recognised as the birthplace of the UK’s nuclear industry. Since becoming Britain’s Atomic Energy Research Establishment in 1946, the site has contributed to major breakthroughs in nuclear science, energy innovation and wider technological research.
Today, Harwell is progressing through a programme to safely decommission its historic facilities. Significant advances have already been made, including the removal 11 of its 14 reactors and the release of around 25% of the original site for redevelopment as part of the growing Harwell Campus.
Current work is focused on plans to demolish 16 redundant buildings and continuing to reduce the site’s nuclear materials inventory.
Hinkley Point A
Hinkley Point A is located on a 19 hectare site on the Somerset coast. It is a twin reactor site which stopped generating electricity in 2000 having completed 35 years of operation, generating 103 terawatt hours. Hinkley Point A Site is now being decommissioned and its focus is on the safe and secure retrieval, packaging and storing of its legacy waste. Priorities for the site include completing the build and commissioning of the intermediate level waste store and installing the modular active effluent treatment plant.
Hunterston A
Hunterston A sits on a 15 hectare coastal promontory in Ayrshire, around 30 miles southwest of Glasgow. Its neighbouring station, Hunterston B, will become the first advanced gas cooled reactor (AGR) site in the UK to join NRS for decommissioning on 1 April 2026, marking a significant moment for UK’s nuclear cleanup programme.
The site has delivered several major decommissioning milestones to remove one million gallons of contaminated water and more than 10 tonnes of redundant equipment from the former fuel cooling ponds, paving the way for further hazard reduction work. A highly complex, decade long programme to retrieve, package and safely store over 2,100 tonnes of solid radioactive waste from five bunkers completed in 2024 as one of Scotland’s most challenging waste management achievements.
Today, Hunterston A’s focus is on the retrieval, processing and permanent on-site storage of post operational intermediate level waste (ILW). This work is supported by dedicated facilities on site, designed to keep waste packages passively safe in line with Scottish Government policy.
Hunterston B
Hunterston B sits alongside the Hunterston A site on Scotland’s west coast and is set to become the first advanced gas cooled reactor (AGR) site in the UK to join Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) for decommissioning on 1 April 2026. This landmark milestone follows the Office for Nuclear Regulation’s (ONR) decision to grant a site licence to NRS at a signing ceremony on 18 March 2026, formally enabling the next phase of the site’s lifecycle.
Across its 46year operational life, Hunterston B generated 297.4 terawatt hours of zero carbon electricity - enough to power every home in Scotland for nearly three decades. The site also became the first AGR station in the UK to be declared fuel free, achieving this status in April 2025.
Between 2022 and 2025, 4,880 spent fuel elements were processed and packaged into nearly 350 specialist flasks, then transported by rail from Hunterston B to Sellafield for long term storage.
The regulatory groundwork was completed in August 2024, when the ONR granted consent for Hunterston B’s decommissioning under the Nuclear Reactors (Environmental Impact Assessment for Decommissioning) Regulations, following EDF’s application in 2023.
Today, Hunterston B stands ready for a new chapter focused on safe, secure and sustainable decommissioning, supported by the experience and capabilities of NRS.
Oldbury
Oldbury sits on a 15 hectare site on the banks of the River Severn in South Gloucestershire, where decommissioning has been progressing since 2016. Over the past decade, teams have delivered major milestones that are reshaping the site for its long term future.
One of the most significant achievements was the transition of the spent fuel cooling ponds into a safe, passive care and maintenance phase in 2025, following years of complex and challenging decommissioning work.
Oldbury Technical Centre, the historic heart of nuclear training excellence since the 1970s, was safely demolished in 2025 clearing almost 5,000m² of land for future reuse.
Oldbury is now focused on the next phase of transformation. Teams are retrieving and segregating fuel element debris (FED) from underground vaults while preparing the site for construction of a pioneering AutoSAS facility - a 120m² building that will deploy advanced robotics to remotely sort and segregate radioactive waste on a UK nuclear site for the first time.
Sizewell A
Sizewell A is located on a 13 hectare site adjacent to Sizewell B power station, near Leiston in Suffolk.
The site achieved a major milestone in 2025 with the completion of the turbine hall, electrical annexe and fire station demolition. This landmark project reshaped the skyline and marked significant decommissioning progress.
In a major sustainability achievement, over 15,000 tonnes of crushed concrete from the demolished turbine alternator plinths were transported for reuse at Sizewell C’s main construction area, supporting the UK’s clean energy future.
Today, Sizewell A is focused on reducing hazards across the site, continuing work on spent fuel ponds decommissioning, and safely retrieving historical wastes as part of its long-term transformation.
Trawsfynydd
Trawsfynydd sits within a 15 hectare site in the Snowdonia National Park - home to the UK’s first inland civil nuclear power station. Since decommissioning began in 1995, the site has delivered major achievements, including bulk asbestos removal and the demolition of both the turbine hall and administration complex.
A new era of transformation begins in 2026, as a four year programme gets underway to reduce the height of the two 54 metre reactor buildings to around 25 metre. This will reshape the skyline and mark one of the most ambitious decommissioning engineering projects in Wales.
The site has also reached a historic waste management milestone. After two decades of meticulous and technically demanding work, almost 2,300 packages of post operational intermediate level waste have been safely retrieved, processed and placed into the site’s interim storage facility, with the final package transferred in March 2026. This achievement reflects years of expertise, collaboration and commitment to safe decommissioning across the organisation.
Trawsfynydd is also responsible for the management and operation of Maentwrog hydro-electric power plant, which has been generating renewable energy since 1928.
Winfrith
Winfrith is located on a 129 hectare site in Dorset. It was constructed in the 1950s to enable vital research into reactor design. The site housed nine experimental reactors at various times with only 2 remaining today, both of which are being decommissioned. Fifty hectares of the site was transferred to different ownership in 2003 following its decommissioning and progress since has seen the skyline change dramatically. Ponds have been emptied, bulk asbestos removed and waste sorted. Winfrith is working towards reaching its interim end state, at which point the land will be returned to heathland with public access.
Wylfa
Wylfa sits on a 21 hectare site on the north coast of Anglesey. It is home to the UK’s final and most powerful Magnox reactor, and the only one ever built without a spent fuel cooling pond.
Since decommissioning began in 2020, Wylfa’s landscape has been reshaped at remarkable pace with 44 buildings demolished. Two major asbestos removal projects have been completed and a new skip compound and waste clearance facility constructed.
Work is progressing to isolate the turbine hall by “air gapping” pipework and cabling to prepare the structure for its eventual demolition. A major infrastructure upgrade is also underway to install a new electrical distribution network, ensuring the site is equipped for decades of safe, low carbon decommissioning.
One of the most significant milestones came in 2025, when Wylfa permanently switched off the powered ventilation systems that had maintained strict airflow and humidity conditions inside the reactors for more than 50 years. All 22 of the first-generation Magnox nuclear reactors in the current NRS decommissioning programme are breathing naturally – marking a pivotal point in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority group’s mission.
Updates to this page
-
Content updated to reflect the inclusion of Hunterston B.
-
Updates have been made to the site bios.
-
First published.