Corporate report

Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM): 21st annual report, 2024 to 2025 (accessible webpage)

Published 7 October 2025

Chair’s Statement

It is a genuine honour to act as the Chair of CoRWM, a committee which has demonstrated sustained impact over many years.

CoRWM was founded in 2003 as a vehicle for the UK Government and the devolved administrations to obtain independent and impartial scientific and technical advice on the long-term management of radioactive waste and it has pursued this remit with vigour ever since. Today, CoRWM provides advice and scrutiny to the main bodies involved in the storage and treatment of radioactive waste, specifically the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), and especially its subsidiary, Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), whilst also providing advice and assurance to the community at large.

At this point in time, the Committee’s remit has never been more relevant. The UK needs to generate more carbon free electricity to cope with developments like data centres, electric vehicles, and the like as well as the general increase in industrial and household demand that is currently forecasted. Subsequently, nuclear power is on an upswing with the result that multiple developments have occurred in the nuclear industry, all of which have consequences for the waste inventory. These include the construction of Hinkley C, the announcement of the go-ahead for Sizewell C (SZC), the funding of Rolls Royce for its small modular reactor programme, and the various other proposals being made for a generation of small modular reactors sited around the country, as well as the development of advanced modular reactors. The waste implications of all of these developments require further study and the broad and probably unequalled set of expertise and experience that Committee members bring to the table will serve the country well as both contributions to policy development and as mature and considered judgements about the nature, management and disposal of radioactive waste.

All of this change means that the Committee is constantly at work. It has begun to review older CoRWM positions on issues such as retrievability of radioactive waste from a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF), provided a constant stream of comment and advice on the GDF programme and equally provided advice to government (and allied bodies) on developing issues like wastes from small and advanced modular reactors, and has now started work on the issue of interim storage. This advice often turns into position papers on the website and even formal journal papers, as in the case of likely and potential wastes from small and advanced modular reactors. It is important to note that this advice on waste is completely impartial. No other government-funded body can claim the same.

Another part of CoRWM’s work is to provide comment and advice to the public at large and this part of our remit has been amply fulfilled this year. In particular, we have reached out to the various GDF Community Partnerships as well providing advice more generally as requested. We have also mounted a series of open plenary meetings in England, Scotland and Wales which have featured expert speakers talking on a variety of different issues concerned with radioactive waste. (The latest details on these meetings can be found on the CoRWM website.)

In this year in particular, it is clear that CoRWM has been able to influence both radioactive waste policy and practice. This is a weighty responsibility, but it is one which the Committee willingly takes up, and for obvious reasons. How radioactive waste is managed from day to day and how it is ultimately disposed of is of critical importance for the UK. Not only does it involve complicated and sometimes contested issues in the present, not all of which are easy to solve or indeed have a single right answer, but it also involves issues which will continue to challenge future generations for many years to come.

To chair a committee like CoRWM inevitably means incurring a large number of debts.  In particular, I want to acknowledge the wise counsel of CoRWM’s two Deputy Chairs, Professor Penny Harvey and Derek Lacey.  Equally, I want to thank each and every one of the other Committee members for their energy, enthusiasm, and hard work which has reached beyond the call of duty on numerous occasions.

I also want to thank the CoRWM Secretariat – Adam Draude, Josie Carlton and Shub Seera. Their hard work and dedication has enabled the Committee to run smoothly, often to tight deadlines, and, as I have come to expect, the Secretariat has excelled over the last year at every aspect of their tasks.

I want to conclude this introduction by stating my firm belief that the Committee’s work is of national importance, not only because it can provide expert independent opinion on the wide range of issues that arise out of the presence of radioactive waste management to UK government and the devolved administrations but also because it is able to assure the wider public that there is a body that can be relied upon to look at all of the issues concerned with radioactive waste management with a forensic eye and without fear or favour.

Sir Nigel Thrift
Chair, Committee on Radioactive Waste Management

Executive Summary

This Annual Report covers the full range of CoRWM activities in 2024-25 and the associated documents that have resulted from them.

Through numerous Committee meetings, visits and events, we have interacted continuously with our sponsors, the regulators, and the general public.

In all, we contributed 422 working days giving out advice to the UK Government and the devolved administrations and scrutinising the activities of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Nuclear Waste Services (NWS).

Our advice and counsel were sought on many different issues, far too many to list in detail here. However, the highlights included:

• advice, support and scrutiny of NDA and NWS on a range of issues including: community engagement; the storage of radioactive waste; GDF costs and project management; geological investigations; regulatory processes.

• CoRWM’s second published assessment of GDF progress.

• work with the Environment Agency and Office for Nuclear Regulation on a series of issues, including the role of an Underground Research Facility (URF) and interaction of the Development Consent Order (DCO) process with other regulatory processes.

• continuing lines of work on the efficacy of an URF for a GDF, and the appropriate balance between geology, engineering and cost in identifying a suitable location for a GDF.

• Continuing to work on wastes and spent fuels from Small and Advanced Modular Reactors (SMRs and AMRs). This includes a new position paper on waste burning reactors, published in September 2025.

• Study trips to Hinkley Point B and C, Wylfa, the GDF Community Partnerships, Nuclear Transport Solutions, the British Geological Survey, and the El Cabril disposal facility in Spain.

1. Introduction

1.1. This is the twenty first Annual Report of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM).  It describes the Committee’s work in the financial year from April 2024 to March 2025 and outlines CoRWM’s current views on the status of the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations’ plans and current arrangements for the management of radioactive waste.

Scope of CoRWM’s Work

1.2. CoRWM’s sponsors are the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (of the UK Government), the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland.  The Committee’s work programme for 2024/25 was agreed with its sponsors and carried out within CoRWM’s agreed budget (Annex A).

1.3. The purpose of the Committee is to give independent advice, based upon its remit and utilising the skills and expertise of its members, and to provide informed scrutiny of the available evidence to UK Government and devolved administration Ministers on the management of radioactive waste, arising from civil and where relevant defence nuclear programmes, including storage and disposal.

1.4. CoRWM’s specific objectives are to provide independent scrutiny and evidence-based advice:

a. To Ministers of the UK Government and devolved administrations on NDA and NWS proposals, plans and programmes to deliver geological disposal, together with robust interim storage, for the UK’s most hazardous radioactive waste, including materials not yet declared as waste.
b. On other radioactive waste management issues as requested by sponsor Ministers, including advice requested by the Scottish Government in relation to its policy for the management of radioactive wastes.

1.5. In addition, the Committee is also charged with community and public engagement concerning the issues within its remit.

1.6. CoRWM’s full terms of reference can be found on its website.^{[footnote 1]}

1.7. In fulfilling its remit to provide this independent and evidence-based advice, CoRWM is expected to maintain an overview of issues relevant to the delivery of the UK Government and devolved administrations’ radioactive waste management programmes. It should bring to the attention of sponsor Ministers issues that it considers to be either: a) positive and worthy of note; or b) concerns that, in the Committee’s opinion, need to be addressed.

1.8. During its work in the past year, CoRWM has primarily engaged with officials within the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, the NDA and NWS (NWS is a developer and operator for radioactive waste disposal infrastructure). The Committee also engages with officials in DAERA in Northern Ireland and with all of the nuclear safety, security, and environmental regulators.

CoRWM Membership

1.9. Membership of the Committee consists of a Chair and 11 members.

1.10. One member has vacated the Committee last year. A recruitment process is underway for a replacement.

CoRWM’s Outreach Activities

1.11. In the year 2024-2025, CoRWM held plenary meetings in public in May, September and November. These public meetings also included insightful presentations by external speakers such as Sasha Wynn Davies (Chair, Nuclear Wales Forum), Petra Tjitske Kalshoven (University of Manchester) and Gabriele Grassi (the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Nuclear Energy Agency). At the November meeting, CoRWM discussed a change in approach to public engagement, with a shift in focus to active engagement with Community Partnerships and other stakeholders, rather than open public meetings.

1.12. During the year, members have presented at a number of events run by other organisations, including NWS, the International Nuclear Law Association, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and GDF Community Partnerships.  CoRWM considers it important for the Committee to engage fully with a wide range of stakeholders to gain an understanding of their views and concerns on radioactive waste management in the UK and to inform them of CoRWM’s conclusions on a range of issues.

1.3. Committee members have also participated in radio programmes and podcasts.

1.14. All of the 1,500 plus open documents which comprise CoRWM’s long history are available on the National Archives website, named by document number.  Also available on the website is a searchable Excel spreadsheet to make it easier to see what content is available and to find documents of interest.^{[footnote 2]}

2. Delivery of 2024 to 2025 Work Programme

Communications and Working with Communities

Overall Task: 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, related GDF and engagement documents, and exploration of near surface disposal for less hazardous intermediate level waste.

1A To scrutinise implementation of community policies in the Managing Radioactive Substances and Nuclear Decommissioning Policy. 

2.1. SG1 members held quarterly meetings with the Communications, Siting and Engagement teams in NWS to discuss the siting programme, local engagement activities, communications and media engagement both locally and nationally, and the importance of international and cross-sector comparisons.

2.2.We have attended public meetings in the three Community Partnership areas that were participating in the siting process during this year (East Lindsey District of Lincolnshire, South-Copeland and Mid-Copeland). These included the ‘Meet the Expert’ events run by the NWS to explain how the characterisation of ‘suitable’ geology is undertaken.

2.3. Future ‘Meet the Expert’ events are planned to explore the topics of ‘Safety and Environment’, and the ‘Visioning Process’. SG1 were also kept informed of the plans to announce the Areas of Focus within existing search areas. CoRWM members attended the webinars for Mid-Copeland, South-Copeland and East Lindsey, and the face-to-face exhibit in Grimoldby village hall in East Lincolnshire. We noted that in East Lindsey, the move away from the former gas terminal site to focus on less constrained agricultural land was met with considerable dismay and prompted both the withdrawal of East Lindsey Council from the siting process, and  contributed to the withdrawal of Lincolnshire County Council, although there were other factors such as the impact of other projects in the area and political changes. In South-Copeland concerns were raised about any potential impacts for the prison in Haverigg, a major employer in the area. In general NWS were able to show that they are applying clear criteria to avoid both the National Park and existing settlements.

2.4. Over the past year SG1 members have also met with the new Chair of the Theddlethorpe Community Partnership and attended two Partnership meetings at the request of the Chair. In general terms we note that the Community Partnership framework is very challenging to realise. NWS drives the process, in accordance with a policy framework, that is experienced as top-down and government driven.  This structure makes it difficult to accommodate the range of often conflicting local interests and ambitions. There also appears to be little scope for Partnerships to genuinely work together to explore the possibilities that a GDF might bring to an area.  Many of those who have expressed most interest – such as either young people, or members of the Chamber of Commerce - are not residents or could be too young to vote if a Test of Public Support (TOPS) takes place in the next few years.

2.5. PH was invited to attend the NWS Siting and Engagement Teams Away Day to discuss specific challenges that the local teams experience. NWS engagement teams experience increased restrictions on their capacity to engage local communities in ways that might be expected of a developer, because of the constraints implied by their status as a government body (e.g. the need to halt engagement during election periods).

2.6. Nevertheless, CoRWM has seen some creative and imaginative initiatives arising from the work of local engagement teams. The East Lindsey engagement team ran a successful ‘immersive event’ in a local facility near Mablethorpe beach. A wider range of people attended than would normally come to the village hall events, but it was not clear how NWS proposed to build on this initiative. There is clearly a case for an engaging Visitor Centre in each of the Search Areas to draw people’s attention to key design criteria (such as the depth at which the radioactive wastes will be deposited), to the technological innovations needed, and the wider social and environmental impacts. We have seen such centres employed to great effect elsewhere – in France and in Spain, for example.

2.7. There are a number of useful initiatives to introduce Partnership members to other sites in the UK and overseas, and to other organisations including the British Geological Survey and the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. Partnership members have been able to meet each other, and to attend the annual conference of the Research Support Office.

1B To act as a source of independent information to communities in the geological disposal facility siting process and the wider public.   

2.8. We have made efforts to ensure that the Community Partnerships are aware of CoRWM’s work, the wide range of expertise of committee members, and the rich archive of documentation on the website.  We will also continue to post blogs to report on site visits and/or to summarise any independent advice given at the request of the Community Partnerships.  As always, we are open to being contacted with written questions posed by the public.

2.9. Some Community Partnerships have asked CoRWM members to attend meetings to bring independent expertise on specific topics under discussion. We agreed to regular attendance at the Theddlethorpe CP, while it was still running. South Copeland CP also requested that we attend. CoRWM members also met with members of the Guardians of the East Coast group in East Lincolnshire and we met online with several members of the public from South and Mid-Copeland who requested on-line meetings to discuss their concerns. SG1 was also asked to review a short NWS authored article on spoil, prior to publication in the South Copeland Newsletter. Mark Kirkbride gave a detailed response on content.

1C To engage with other CoRWM subgroups to ensure a focus on community engagement across the full range of CoRWM’s work. 

2.10. There is strong engagement with other sub-groups both at our quarterly plenary meetings and on joint visits of interest to the wider committee. Members of SG1 are also closely involved in other sub-groups (including SG2, SG3, SG5 and SG6).

1D Scrutiny and provision of advice to NWS on public engagement and communication of the GDF safety case in collaboration with other CoRWM subgroups. 

2.11. PH continues to serve on the NWS Community Engagement Advisory Panel (as a member of CoRWM) with co-members Ben Belfadhel (Nuclear Waste Management Organisation, Canada), Claes Thegerström (Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company) and Eugenie Turton (former senior government servant who now works as a Non-Executive Director in the private and charitable sectors). In September 2024 the Panel discussed NWS’s approach to the Test of Public Support (ToPS, set out in Government Policy) including how to communicate the process when the potential host communities are not yet defined, and the extent to which direct physical impacts of communities beyond the electoral wards in which the surface facilities will be located are still largely unknown. In February 2025 we met to discuss communications strategies for communities outside the search areas that could be affected by for example transportation routes as well as the impacts of the Government Spending Review settlement.

2.12. CoRWM is very supportive of the National Youth Forum. Thirteen young people (aged 17-24) from across the country have been recruited to the Forum. NWS is working with Arup who have connected them to the Young Foundation. The key question for NWS for the coming year is about how to take forward what we have learned and apply this to youth engagement strategies, and how to connect national discussions to the specific challenges of siting and engagement in the current search areas. Intergenerational issues and understanding are important aspects of such a long-term project as the GDF - yet enabling the voice of younger generations remains a seemingly low investment priority. Much greater support and resource is needed.

2.13. A key area of significance has arisen over the past year concerning the difference between the consultations required to support the Development Consent Order process, and the engagement work required to work towards a possible ToPS. In general terms CoRWM has encouraged NWS to clearly distinguish between the communications work that relates to NWS as a corporate body, and the need to build relations of trust that underpin the Partnerships that lie at the heart of the siting strategy. A greater understanding of the importance of attending to local needs and local interests is still needed.

2.14. We have also discussed social media strategy, and survey data gathered by Yonder that tracks local awareness and understanding within the current search areas, and reports on +/- levels of acceptance or refusal. Greater understanding of and attention to who are reported as ‘neutral’ is a priority. This group may well include many who are not interested, but it will also include the undecided. CoRWM has asked NWS to ensure that Yonder analyse this group more closely.

1E Inform and update NWS/NDA of the ways in which social sciences and humanities research can support their mission.    

2.15. Over the past year members of SG1 have worked closely with NWS to support the development of understandings of how research in the social sciences and humanities can support their mission. At the NWS/CoRWM workshop held at the British Geological Survey, Nottingham in November 2024 SG1 led a session with senior NWS staff to draw attention to the centrality of social issues to the achievement of effective siting and engagement. We followed up the workshop with on-line and face-to-face meetings in January and in February 2025 for members of Senior Management who were unable to attend the Nottingham meeting.

2.16. Throughout the year, SG1 has also had regular meetings with the appointed subject matter expert on Social Sciences within NWS. We have discussed how quantitative social data (economic, social, civil society, health and wellbeing) correlates with qualitative understandings of the potential impacts of the GDF within the current siting areas.  We co-ordinated on the possibilities afforded by a 6-month social science (virtual) placement within NWS, to map out specific areas of work that would benefit from social science expertise. We also engaged closely with the Research Support Office (RSO). PH served as the Discipline Lead for Social Sciences. She supported NWS in the formulation of the call for Ph.D. research projects, and in May 2024 we organised a meeting at Harwell of the current social science Ph.D. researchers and their supervisors to support the development of the social science research portfolio. PH and CC attended the Annual Conference of the RSO in January 2025 and PH joined the plenary panel for a Q&A on siting issues. PH and CC also engaged the RSO’s initiative to re-structure their programme for engagement with academic colleagues. Social Sciences now has an improved profile and integrative role and has been identified as one of two cross-cutting themes for the reconfigured RSO. The government spending review has challenged the ability to follow through with these plans, but CoRWM continues to support the initiative to strengthen the links between the social sciences and humanities and NWS given that under the current policy, a GDF requires both a suitable geology and a willing community.

Site Evaluation

Overall Task: 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 an underground research facility (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. 

2.17. SG2 members met periodically with NWS on 4 March 2024, 3 July 2024, 26 November 2024 and 27 February 2025. They also attended a workshop with NWS on May 8 and 9 2024 discussing numerous issues, and a workshop held at the British Geological Survey (BGS) on November 5 and 6, 2024.

2.18. Typically, CoRWM SG2 will advise NWS in advance of these scheduled meetings any specific topics upon which the SG would like to obtain further information.  Likewise, NWS will also propose agenda items based upon their own work streams and progress.

2.19. The main themes of such meetings focus around the GDF siting process, including site investigation programmes, site characterisation technical work, progress on specific communities in relation to geological exploration planning, including deep borehole programmes.  This has included detailed review of the site characterisation plans including the site descriptive model development process.

2.20. SG2 has considered the approach to offshore exploration drilling and the long-term monitoring of instrumentation within the boreholes, including the intended suite of studies; and the tests to be conducted and how it will be delivered. In November 2024, SG2, along with the rest of the Committee, visited the National Geological Repository at the BGS, a UKRI national science facility and the largest collection of geoscience samples from the UK.

2.21. SG2 has also reviewed the NWS approach to site evaluation planning, as well as the areas of focus process and associated transportation planning.

2.22. SG2 members have been involved in the preparation of a number of CoRWM technical reports, memoranda and forthcoming position papers.  These have included: - Underground Research / Rock Characterisation Facilities (URFs). - Waste Retrievability from a GDF - Deep borehole disposal review and commentary - GDF Costs and Risk Model work - Review of the technical and practical aspects associated with a long-range inshore GDF

2.23. The CoRWM URF paper is a substantial report that has been through a series of extensive internal reviews and updates following on from a NWS presentation on their current strategy to construct instrumented vaults and other in-situ experimental facilities in the first stage of underground operation for a GDF to confirm their research and understanding in the specific host rock (in addition to prior work in international URFs), as well as comments received from the EA and ONR and also introducing the historical CoRWM recommendations.

2.24. The paper on retrievability of waste from disposal facilities has been significantly updated in relation to CORWM’s previous positions on this topic, and now includes the approach adopted within the NDA/NWS generic disposal system design (which is itself based on CoRWM’s recommendations), as well as introducing the IAEA framework on retrievability.

2.25. SG2 produced summary information setting out the historical CoRWM recommendations in relation to the Research and Development requirements, particularly those relevant to the Underground Research Facility (URF) ongoing work.

2.26. SG2 members attended a series of site visits alongside the wider committee (see Executive Summary). Of particular relevance to the tasks of SG2 was the visit to the British Geological Survey hosted National Geological Repository which incorporated the Core Store and associated facilities.

GDF Process, Policy Implementation, Planning and Regulation

Overall Task: 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 the 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.

Site Visits

2.27. SG3 Members joined the CoRWM visit to the British Geological Survey in November 2024 including further discussions with NWS regarding site characterisation and permitting.

2.28. On 2nd and 3rd October three members attended a visit and met with Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS) in both Barrow and Carlisle, to discuss both sea and rail transport implications of a GDF. A blog was later published on the CoRWM website^{[footnote 3]}. This was followed up with further discussion with NTS and site visits to Lincolnshire to inspect local transport infrastructure.

2.29. One SG3 member also attended the visit to the El Cabril facility in Spain which accepts both LLW and ILW. It is a near surface engineered facility with a long history reaching back to the early days of uranium mining. A blog was also later published on the CoRWM website.

Meetings and Discussions

2.30. SG3 members met periodically with NWS on 10 April 2024, 19 June 2024 and 26 February 2025. They also attended a workshop with NWS on May 8 and 9 2024 discussing numerous issues around planning and regulation. How the Development Consent Order process encompasses NWS’s various planned activities surrounding the GDF was of particular interest.

2.31. SG3 members met with the Environment Agency (EA) on June 18th and subsequently on 10 October 2024, to discuss:

• CoRWM’s position regarding the need for / nature of an Underground Research / Rock Characterisation Facility (URF).
• The EA’s planned consultation on draft Guidance on the Requirements for Authorisation (GRA) and also Staged Regulation guidance for geological disposal
• Near Surface Disposal (NSD) and regulatory implications
• Waste and fuel transport
• CoRWM’s future work programme, including: - 1. Waste storage - 2. Advanced Modular Reactor (AMR) wastes - 3. Position on siting
• Regulator long-term capabilities / staffing resource implications

2.32. SG3 met with NWS on October 22, discussing:

• Property Value Protection and how it will work
• NWS’s regulatory update
• CoRWM’s update on relevant activity and learning and advice from site visits

Deliverables

2.33. In addition to the above, SG3 members have been closely involved in drafting CoRWM’s forthcoming Position Papers on: - Underground Research / Rock Characterisation Facilities (URFs). - Waste Retrievability from a GDF

2.34.SG3 members have prepared a draft paper on transport considerations.

2.35. SG3 members led CoRWM’s detailed response to the EA’s consultation on: - Disposal facilities for solid radioactive waste: Guidance on the Requirements for Authorisation (GRA) - Geological disposal facilities for solid radioactive waste: Staged Regulation guidance

2.36. SG3 members were also active in supporting written updates and advice to DESNZ at times throughout the year including a virtual presentation across DESNZ on various relevant aspects of nuclear law.

Comments

2.37. Sub Group 3’s work continues to involve wider interaction with other CoRWM Sub Groups. Site visits have been particularly helpful in bringing into sharp focus the challenges facing NWS by drawing upon the practical experiences of other related organisations – both national and international.

2.38. Once again SG3 is grateful to the numerous stakeholders that have engaged with us so openly and willingly during the past year.

Environmental Permitting

2.39. SG3 has continued to take a close interest in environmental permitting this past year. CoRWM welcomed the EA’s draft  GRA and Geological disposal facilities for solid radioactive waste: Staged Regulation Guidance and responded positively to the consultation. We look forward to interacting further with the Agency as it considers its response to the consultation and finalises its approach.

2.40. CoRWM has taken a particular interest in how underground investigations fit into the EA’s staged regulation for a GDF, and specifically on the nature, extent and analysis of in situ data it will require of NWS as part of the environmental permitting process.

Transport of Radioactive Waste

2.41. The transport of radioactive waste for the GDF programme continues to be of interest. For both rail and sea transport there are constraints and strategic opportunities for different locations in England to a GDF sited both within and potentially outside Cumbria. Our focus has been on feasibility, safety and security, and costs and potential benefits.

Scottish Government Activities

Overall Task: 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.

Meetings and Discussions

2.42. SG4 members contributed to discussions on the Higher Activity Waste in Scotland Strategy as part of the 2011 Policy and 2016 Implementation Strategy review.

• SG4 chair Clare Bond attended a meeting of the HAWSSIG on February 28.

• SG4 member Derek Lacey attended the Scottish Nuclear Sites Stakeholder Meeting on August 14.

• Clare Bond and Derek Lacey attended the HAWWSIG meeting on the 25September 2024.

• CoRWM were pleased to invite Dan Couldridge (Scottish Government) to our Edinburgh Plenary and closed meeting. This provided an opportunity for Scottish Government to get a feel for the breadth of work and expertise in CoRWM and for CoRWM to learn about the issues and challenges facing the Scottish Government and the Scottish Nuclear Waste sector.

• In November 2024 SG4 facilitated a meeting with Scottish Government and CoRWM members from SG2 and SG3 on retrievability of waste from disposal facilities. The outcome of which was to include material relevant to Scottish policy in CoRWM’s upcoming retrievability paper including Near Surface Disposal.

• CoRWM also attended the Civil Nuclear Industry Cross Party Group at the Scottish Parliament in December on Radioactive Waste in Scotland.

Deliverables

2.43. SG4 provided a written response to Scottish Government for the review of Scotland’s 2011 HAW policy as part of the HAWSSIG in June 2024.

Comments

2.44. SG4 were pleased to engage in the initiation of the Higher Activity Waste policy and Strategy review in Scotland in 2024; and to engage in meaningful discussions regarding retrievability and near surface disposal and share more information with Scottish Government on the work of CoRWM and areas in which CoRWM may be best able to support and advise. CoRWM note the usefulness of the Civil Nuclear Industry Cross Party Group for broader engagement in nuclear issues across Scotland.

Welsh Government Activities

Overall Task: Monitor 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.

Site visits

2.45. A site visit to Wylfa was undertaken by CoRWM members in September 2024, coupled with a Plenary Meeting held on Ynys Mon/Anglesey. This provided a welcome opportunity to see the last and largest AGR station and to hear about some the challenges of decommissioning from the site manager and site waste manager. It was opportune to make the visit for two reasons: first as a helpful complement to our visit to Trawsfynydd last year, another Magnox station, but a very different one; and secondly since the last visit by CoRWM members to Wylfa was in January 2015, almost 10 years ago. Much has happened since then including the consignment of the last batch of Magnox fuel to Sellafield for reprocessing in September 2019. It is greatly to the credit of the site management that defueling was undertaken and completed so that Sellafield was not kept waiting for the fuel, and moreover that the site was able to reshuffle fuel between reactors to accommodate the earlier delays in Sellafield’s readiness to receive spent fuel. The site has also completed the difficult job of dealing with a number of badly corroded fuel elements affected by a water leak into the dry store in the past. It is proposed to have the site ready for a period of care and maintenance by 2037, which will leave just the reactors and dry store cells. However, critically, achieving that goal will depend on reliable funding. In particular, certainty of funding is necessary because of the long lead in times to projects because of the need to comply with procurement legislation.

2.46. Following the successful site visit to Trawsfynydd in 2023, the Subgroup has been following progress on decommissioning and is working towards a follow up site visit in 2025.

2.47. In addition, Stephen Tromans, as part of a Wales Nuclear Forum (WNF) event, participated in a site visit to the decommissioned Aberthaw coal-fired power station near Cardiff, which is a possible site for location of advanced nuclear technologies such as small modular reactors.

Engagement

2.48. Sub-Group members have maintained regular contact with Welsh Government officers. The main activity has been the production of new revised waste policy guidance for Wales, CoRWM has followed this process and offered help where appropriate.

2.49. At its September Plenary meeting CoRWM received an excellent presentation from Sasha Wynn Davies, chair of the WNF. North Wales has a strong nuclear heritage and is part of the “nuclear arc” of Cumbria, Lancashire, Cheshire and North Wales. The power station at Wylfa was a crucial source of employment on Anglesey and Sasha left us in no doubt that the future economic and social well-being of the island is bound up with potential new nuclear development at that site, whether at gigawatt scale or with small modular reactors, or both.

2.50. CoRWM is now a member of the WNF an important body on both new build and decommissioning. Stephen Tromans participated in and spoke at a WNF event on decommissioning and waste in Cardiff, speaking on the subject of waste from SMRs and AMRs and CoRWM’s Position Paper on this subject.

2.51. Stephen also attended a virtual WNF event on proposals for a new medical isotope reactor at Trawsfynydd.

2.52. The Senedd has formed a Cross-Party Group on Nuclear Energy during 2025. The Cross-Party Group will be a forum for Members of the Senedd, stakeholders and interested parties to engage with each other in order to raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges facing the civil nuclear sector in Wales; including across new build, decommissioning and the existing associated footprint, workforce and supply chain in Wales to better inform the development of policy in this area. CoRWM has expressed an interest in participating in this group.

Deliverables

2.53. CoRWM has continued to support and build a good relationship with Welsh Government.

2.54. It has a good understanding based on site visits of the two key sites in Wales, Wylfa and Trawsfynydd.

2.55. Through WNF, and it is hoped in future the Senedd Cross party Group, it is developing its network of contacts in the Welsh nuclear community and through that promoting an understanding of CoRWM’s work particularly on decommissioning and waste from new build.

Storage of Waste, Spent Fuel and Nuclear Materials

Overall Task: 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,

1. Preparing a report on ‘waste burning’ reactors and their implications for geological disposal. 2. 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 the interim storage of higher activity radioactive waste in the UK.

Meetings and Discussions

2.56. SG6 maintained a dialogue with NDA and NWS on the management of radioactive waste, spent fuel and nuclear materials that may be destined for disposal. Briefing meetings were held on 15, 18, 29 August, 29 October 2024, 24 February, 20 and 31 March 2025, Management of waste from small modular and advanced modular reactors was discussed at the CoRWM NWS workshops held on 8 & 9 May and 5 & 6 November 2024.

Deliverables

2.57. In January 2025, CoRWM SG6 members published a paper on the implications of radioactive waste for small and advanced modular reactors published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (Small and advanced nuclear reactors: Closing the fuel cycle? Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 2025 Vol 81, No 1, 43-47)

2.58. SG6 has developed a draft CoRWM Position Paper on radioactive waste burning by nuclear transmutation, published September 2025.

Comments

2.59. The UK Policy Framework for managing radioactive substances and nuclear decommissioning, published in May 2024, recognises that some intermediate level waste may not need the level of isolation offered by a geological disposal facility and creates an opportunity for the development of near surface disposal facilities subject to demonstration of safety and the protection of the environment. CoRWM has maintained an interest in the development of this option for several years and notes that whilst this option may prove to be suitable for some wastes, e.g. cementitious material or graphite, it does not affect the need for timely delivery of an operational geological disposal facility.

2.60. Small and advanced nuclear technologies have, for some time, been viewed as key to meeting future low-carbon dioxide energy demands. More recently Big Tech companies are considering options to build their own nuclear reactors to power the AI revolution, including those that are yet to leave the drawing board. CoRWM has stated in its publications that designing disposal solutions for the radioactive waste produced by these mainly novel reactors, with novel fuel, is essential to avoid significant and unconstrained costs for investors and governments. CoRWM continue to support the UK Government policy position that SMR and AMR developers should build decommissioning and waste management into the design of their technology

2.61. In January 2025 the UK Government announced its decision to immobilise the UK’s inventory of civil separated plutonium that is stored at Sellafield. CoRWM notes that a major driver for this decision was the government’s wish to put the material beyond reach. This decision creates clarity for the NDA and a basis for further development of its research and development work to identify the preferred technology for immobilisation. CoRWM recognises that this decision is a major step towards development of a new nuclear material processing plant and interim storage facilities at Sellafield pending deep geological disposal.

2.62. CoRWM has continued to monitor NDA’s plans for interim storage across its estate and to consider the factors that have the potential to impact safety and security. CoRWM will continue to monitor this important topic and will scrutinise NDA’s next strategy.

Position Papers, Reports and Visit Blogs

The position papers issued by CoRWM in 2024-2025 are set out in table 1 below.

Table 1: CoRWM Position Papers, Reports and Visit Blogs 2024-2025

Name	Content	Date Updated
CoRWM visits Dounreay nuclear site	Members were given an overview of the scale of the challenges faced in the decommissioning of the site.	22 May 2024
CoRWM visits Wylfa nuclear power station	Members met on Anglesey to learn more about the potential new nuclear development at its Closed and Open Plenary meetings.	30 October 2024
CoRWM visits Nuclear Transport Solutions sites at Barrow and Carlisle, Cumbria	Members of CoRWM look at preparations for transporting nuclear waste, including shipping at Barrow Port and rail options around Cumbria.	22 January 2025
Time and change at El Cabril	Four Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) members travelled to Andalucia to visit the El Cabril low and intermediate level nuclear waste disposal facility.	5 February 2025
Delivery of an operational geological disposal facility (GDF): progress report 2025	The second in a series of CoRWM Reports on the progress towards the delivery of an operational GDF.	14 February 2025

3. Forward Look

3.1. The Committee’s focus for 2025-26 is now firmly fixed on the siting process for geological disposal.

3.2. So far as the GDF is concerned, it will consider the results emanating from NWS’s examination of the suitability of the geology in the inshore region of Cumbria, and the continuing issue of community engagement and support.

3.3. So far as the waste inventory is concerned, the Committee will continue to work with NDA to better understand the strategy for managing the UK radioactive waste inventory. It will also consider the implications of prolonged interim storage which have become even more relevant given the decision by UK government to treat the civil plutonium inventory as a waste to be disposed of in a GDF.

3.4. The Committee will continue to keep abreast of, and advise on, the efficacy of relevant new technological developments to the GDF. It will also consider the role of technological foresight more widely, given the extended period of time for construction and operation of a GDF.

3.5. The Committee will continue to make recommendations on the nature of the wastes likely to arise from small and advanced modular reactors, and how these reactors can be designed and assessed so that they minimise the creation of radioactive wastes and are able to provide assurance that wastes are able to be placed in a GDF (or can reduce it in the case of waste-burning reactors)

3.6. More generally, the Committee will continue to provide advice to the UK Government in the wake of policy pronouncements on new nuclear, and to the Scottish and Welsh Governments on numerous aspects of radioactive waste policy and its implementation, and will provide advice to the government in Northern Ireland as and when requested.

3.7. The Committee will continue to respond to all relevant government consultations as and when.

3.8. The Committee will continue to remain current with respect to the UK nuclear industry. It has an extensive programme of site visits planned for 2025-26, so as to observe and report on the progress of a range of different activities and approaches to radioactive waste management.

3.9. The Committee will produce a third Annual Review of Progress on the GDF.

4. Conclusions and Recommendations

4.1. The Committee continues to be of the opinion that, in the current state of knowledge, deep geological disposal is the only viable long-term solution that can safely deal with the inventory of  the UK’s most hazardous radioactive waste.  As of now, it cannot foresee any scenario in which a GDF would not figure as a key element of waste disposal.

4.2. The Committee has amassed an enormous fund of expertise and experience on the whole range of radioactive waste management concerns over more than twenty years.  As a result, we believe that the Committee has played a vital role, not only in the development of the GDF but of radioactive waste management policy and strategy more generally, not least because it is able to inspire trust because its advice is demonstrably evidence-based, providing the public with reassurance and inspiring trust. It provides an essential, objective counterbalance to the influence of organisations which have a direct interest in particular outcomes.

4.3. 2024-25 was full of positive activity and outcomes and there must be every expectation that 2025-26 will trace the same trajectory.

4.4. It is the intention of CoRWM to produce and publish position papers on a range of relevant topics over the coming year, as well as policy notes where they are appropriate, and a third GDF progress report.

4.5. So far as the GDF is concerned there are the community issues produced by the siting process, as well as the search for value for money. More generally, interim storage has become an important focus and will take a substantial portion of our time.

4.6. Additionally, we will consider the links between the policy initiatives launched by the Scottish Government’s review of its 2016 Higher Activity Waste Implementation Strategy and the Cwmni Egino Nuclear Prospectus for North Wales.

4.7. The Committee will continue to strengthen its engagement with the various regulatory organisations, and this engagement will continue.

4.8. The Committee will explore further new forms of public outreach.

4.9. In conclusion, we look forward to another year of active and substantial progress.

5. Annexes

Annex A:  CoRWM Expenditure 2024-2025

CoRWM’s budget and actual expenditure for the year is set out in table 2, split into the main spending areas.  

The budget for 2024/2025 was set at £290,000.

Table 2: CoRWM’s Budget Out-Turn 2024/25

Budget Items	Budget (£k)	Actual (£k)
Members’ Fees1		155,642.48
Members’ Expenses2 Incidental Expenses3 Recruitment and secretariat administration		48,132.76
Total		203,775.24

Notes:

1  Members’ fees include Employer National Insurance Contributions.

2  Members’ expenses include transport costs and incidental
expenses when travelling to meetings, visits or other venues.

3  Meetings and visits include venue and members’ accommodation costs
for Plenary Meeting, visits and other meetings.

The standard fees are those paid at the rates specified in Members’ terms of appointment.  These state that:

1. the Chair can claim £450 a day for up to 78 days per year;
2. the Deputy Chair can claim £380 for up to 49 days per year; and
3. members can each claim £350 a day for up to 49 days in a year.

CoRWM is not required to report the fees that individual members received, but this information is published in the interests of transparency, with table 3 summarising the days worked by each of the CoRWM members in the year period.

Table 3: Days Worked by CoRWM Members

Name	Days Worked	Status
Sir Nigel Thrift	47.4	Chair since July 2018
Penny Harvey	52.32	Member from Nov 2019, Deputy Chair
Derek Lacey	49.62	Member from Nov 2019, Deputy Chair
Stephen Tromans KC	48	Member since June 2016
Ray Kemp	49.5	Member from Nov 2019
Mark Kirkbride	53	Member from Nov 2019
Claire Corkhill	32.55	Member from Jan 2020
Clare Bond	22.69	Member from Jan 2022
Simon Webb	40	Member from Jan 2022
Barry Lennox	9.9	Member from July 2023
Malcolm Joyce	17.41	Member from June 2023
Total	422.39

Annex B: CoRWM Membership

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: 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

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: Malcolm 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

Annex C:  CoRWM Subgroups 2022-2023

Subgroup 1: Working with Communities Implementation

Primary tasks:

1. To scrutinise and advise on the integrated communication strategy of the
   UK Government, NDA and NWS.
2. To scrutinise implementation of the Working with Communities policies in England and Wales.
3. To act as a source of independent information to communities in the geological disposal facility siting process if approached, and to ensure that the work of the Committee (including key position papers) is visible and accessible to communities.
4. To report to the main CoRWM Committee to enable the development of advice to Ministers, NDA and NWS.
5. Scrutiny and provision of advice to NWS on public engagement and communication of the GDF safety case in collaboration with other CoRWM sub-groups.

Membership:

Penny Harvey (Subgroup Chair)
Nigel Thrift
Ray Kemp
Claire Corkhill
Clare Bond

Subgroup 2: GDF Geology and Delivery

Primary tasks:

1. Scrutiny of and advice to NWS on technical site evaluation factors.
2. Scrutiny and provision of advice to NWS on activities relating to the continued development of a GDF safety case.
3. Scrutiny and provision of advice to NWS on GDF siting activities, including selection criteria, methods of investigation, and the timescale for carrying out site selection in different rock types.
4. Provision of Subgroup 2 related advice to Community Partnership stakeholders as required.
5. Preparation of a paper reviewing CoRWM’s position on retrievability of waste packages from a GDF.

Membership:

Mark Kirkbride (Subgroup Chair)
Claire Corkhill
Clare Bond

Subgroup 3: Planning and Regulation

Primary tasks:

1. Legal and regulatory issues involved in the development of an “Inshore” GDF beneath the seabed but accessed from land.
2. Legal and regulatory issues involved in near surface disposal of intermediate level radioactive waste, either in England and Wales, or in Scotland.
3. Legal, regulatory or policy issues arising from radioactive waste streams located in Scotland which would not be suitable for near surface disposal.
4. Legal issues relevant to the Working with Communities process as it develops.
5. Legal and regulatory issues involved in the development of fusion technology.

Membership:

Ray Kemp (Subgroup Chair)
Stephen Tromans KC
Derek Lacey
Mark Kirkbride Simon Webb

Subgroup 4: Scottish Government Activities

Primary tasks:

1. To scrutinise the Scottish Government’s activities in relation to the management of higher activity radioactive waste (HAW) in Scotland.
2. To report to the main CoRWM Committee to enable the development of advice to Ministers, NDA and NWS.

Membership:

Clare Bond (Subgroup Chair)
Malcolm Joyce
Derek Lacey
Penny Harvey

Subgroup 5: Welsh Government Activities

Primary tasks:

1. To scrutinise the Welsh Government’s activities in relation to the delivery of the Implementing Geological Disposal policy in Wales.
2. To report to the main CoRWM Committee to enable the development of advice to Ministers, NDA and NWS.

Membership:

Stephen Tromans KC (Subgroup Chair)
Barry Lennox

Subgroup 6:  Waste, Spent Fuel & Nuclear Materials Inventory Management

Primary tasks:

1. Monitoring and providing advice on NDA integrated waste management developments including boundary, difficult wastes in Scotland and strategic direction.
2. To scrutinise and advise the UK Government and NDA on the potential for near surface disposal of less hazardous intermediate level radioactive waste.
3. Ongoing scrutiny of the end of the Magnox reprocessing programme, and of storage and potential disposal of spent fuel, uranics and plutonium.
4. To advise on the implications of a UK programme of SMRs and AMRs for radioactive waste management.
5. To advise on the implications of a UK fusion programme for radioactive waste management.

Membership:

Derek Lacey (Subgroup Chair)
Claire Corkhill
Simon Webb
Stephen Tromans
Malcolm Joyce
Barry Lennox

Annex D:  Meetings held during 2024-2025

Date	Meetings	Attending Capacity
13/03/2024	NWS/CoRWM Liaison	DL, PH, Secretariat
20/03/2024	Update on NWS Tech Dept	CoRWM
26 & 27/03/24	CoRWM visit to Dounreay	CoRWM
05/04/2024	CoRWM visit to Hinkley B&C	CoRWM
15/04/2024	SG3 catchup	SG3
24/04/2024	NWS/CoRWM Liaison	DL, PH, Secretariat
29/04/2024	CoRWM meeting prior to NWS workshop	SG1, ST
08 & 09/05/2024	NWS/CoRWM workshop	CoRWM
13/05/2024	CoRWM URF debrief	DL, RK, ST, MK, MJ
21.05.2024	CoRWM Closed Plenary	CoRWM
22.05.2024	CoRWM Open Plenary	CoRWM
13.06.2024	SG1 NWS meeting	SG1
18/06/2024	SG3 EA meeting	SG3
19/06/2024	SG3 NWS meeting	SG3
03/07/2024	SG2 NWS meeting	SG2
04/07/2024	SG1 NWS meeting	SG1
18/07/2024	CoRWM Chairs meeting	NT, DL, PH
23/07/2024	CoRWM Interim Plenary	CoRWM
19/08/2024	CoRWM meeting with Nuclear Transparency Watch	NT, PH
21/08/2024	DESNZ HTGR programme Q&A with CoRWM	DL, CC, MJ
29/08/2024	SG6 meeting with NDA/DESNZ presentation	SG6
29/08/2024	SG6 Catch up	DL, CC
04/09/2024	Project Arthur presentation and discussion
11/09/2024	CoRWM Closed Plenary Sept 2024	CoRWM
12/09/2024	CORWM Open Plenary Sept 2024	CoRWM
12/09/24	Magnox Visit	CoRWM
24/09/24	SG2 SG3 Catch up	SG2, SG3
10/10/24	SG3 EA ONR workshop	SG3
17/10/24	Visit	CoRWM
22/10/24	SG3 NWS meeting	SG3
23/10/24	SG1 NWS meeting	SG1
29/10/24	Preparation for URF discussion with NWS	MK, CC, CB
29/10/24	Discussion between DL NWS	DL
30 & 31/10/24	El Cabril Near Surface Disposal Facility Visit	CoRWM
05 & 06/11/24	CoRWM NWS workshop	CoRWM
12/11/2024	CoRWM DEFRA - Justification for AMR application discussion 12.11.24	DL, MJ, CC
26.11.24	CoRWM Closed Plenary Nov 2024	CoRWM
27.11.24	CoRWM Open Plenary Nov 2024	CoRWM
16.1.25	CoRWM Interim Plenary meeting	CoRWM
27.1.25	CoRWM SG1 NWS meeting	SG1
11.2.25	CoRWM SG2 NWS meeting	SG2
13.2.25	CoRWM NWS meeting	PH, NT, SW
26.2.25	CoRWM SG3 NWS meeting	SG3
11.03.25	CoRWM March Plenary	CoRWM
12.03.25	CoRWM Plenary Subgroup Meetings	CoRWM
07.05.25	CoRWM EA ONR Meeting	SG3
14.05.25	CoRWM SG1 NWS meeting	SG1
20.05.25	CoRWM May Plenary	CoRWM
21.05.25	CoRWM Plenary Subgroup Meetings	CoRWM

Annex E:  List of Acronyms

Acronym	Description
AMR	Advanced Modular Reactor
CoRWM	Committee on Radioactive Waste Management
DCO	Development Consent Order
DAERA	Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
DESNZ	Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (formally BEIS)
EA	Environment Agency (England’s Environmental Regulator)
GDF	Geological Disposal Facility
HAW	Higher Activity Waste
IAEA	International Atomic Energy Agency
ILW	Intermediate Level Waste
NDA	Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
NDPB	Non-Departmental Public Body
NSD	Near Surface Disposal
NWS	Nuclear Waste Services
ONR	Office for Nuclear Regulation (the regulator of safety, security and safeguards at nuclear facilities and transport of radioactive materials)
R&D	Research and Development
RSO	Research Support Office
SMR	Small Modular Reactor
SG	Scottish Government
URF	Underground Research Facility
WG	Welsh Government

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/committee-on-radioactive-waste-management/about/terms-of-reference

1. Available on CoRWM webpage: ↩

2. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/corwm-documents-archive ↩

3. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/corwm-visits-nuclear-transport-solutions-sites-at-barrow-and-carlisle-cumbria#:~:text=We%20next%20visited%20the%20NTS,of%20specialist%20containers%20by%20rail. ↩