Corporate report

NDA Mid-year performance report 2023 to 2024

Published 7 February 2024

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 2023-26 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 2023/24, our Group Key Targets. Progress against these targets is reported to the NDA Board and UK Government on a monthly basis.

Group Key Targets 2023/24

There are 16 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		No of targets
On Track	The key target is on track to be completed to schedule	14
At Risk	The key target is at risk of being missed	2

Number	OpCo	Strategic Outcome	Description	Year-end forecast	Commentary
Operations
1	Sellafield	6, 9	Receive and dismantle assemblies of spent fuel rods from EDF’s Advanced Gas-cooled Reactors (AGRs) for consolidation and long-term storage in a single modern pond	On Track
2	Sellafield	36, 37	Reduce stocks of high level waste by vitrification (forming glass), move medium active waste flasks and filter flasks to storage facilities	On Track
3	Sellafield	31	Retrieve intermediate level waste from the Magnox Swarf Storage Silo (MSSS) and transfer to more modern storage facilities	On Track
4	Magnox	30, 32, 33	Retrieve intermediate level waste from legacy stores and transfer to more modern storage facilities	On Track
5	Dounreay	11, 26, 27, 28	Dispose of legacy bagged waste, grouting of waste storage containers ready for disposal, remove fuel stuck in the Dounreay Fast Reactor for long-term storage, deliver preparatory work for the retrieval of waste from the shaft and silo	On Track
Projects
6	Sellafield	19, 32, 33	Deliver this year’s plan for three major construction projects - SIXEP Continuity Plant (SCP), Sellafield Product and Residue Store Retreatment Plant (SRP) and Box Encapsulation Plant (BEP)	On Track
7	Sellafield		Deliver Programme and Project Partners (PPP) excellence activities - resource management, supply chain performance, opportunity realisation and benefits management	On Track
8	Magnox	30, 32, 33, 40, 42, 43	Deliver this year’s milestones for high priority construction and decommissioning projects across the Magnox sites	On Track
9	Dounreay	12, 28, 3, 34, 42	Deliver this year’s milestones for high priority construction and decommissioning projects at Dounreay	On Track
10	NWS	28	Install drainage on the southern trench cap at the Low Level Waste Repository, submit contract for LLWR southern trench membrane replacement project to NDA for approval and update NWS’s lifetime plan	At Risk	The membrane replacement contract is currently behind plan; however NWS are taking action to bring it back on track
11	Group		Develop asset management and continuous improvement capability across the group	At Risk	Additional focus is being given to this by the OpCos to bring it back on track.
12	Group		Deliver activities to help us to identify, plan, measure and track benefits from cross-group programmes	On Track
13	Group		Beacon Project: Deliver actions to address key challenges in the areas of skills, attraction and retention across the group	On Track
14	Group		Beacon Project: Deliver improvements to sanction and assurance processes across the group	On Track
15	Group		Beacon Project: Measure and identify actions to improve organisational culture across the group	On Track
16	Group		Deliver activities to agree future ownership arrangements for the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment site, located next to our Dounreay site	On Track

Business Plan key activities and milestones

NDA

The NDA is a 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. NDA is sponsored and funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

Summary of performance

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2023/24	1
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	43
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 2023/24 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

The activities that have been completed, are behind schedule, missed or deferred during 2023/24 are as follows:

Key activities	Strategic Outcome	Timescale	2023/24 Activity	2023/26 Activity	Comments
Lead on the development and co-creation of a Digital Vision and Strategy for the group		2023-2026		Completed

Sellafield Limited

Sellafield Ltd is an NDA subsidiary, responsible for operating and decommissioning Europe’s largest and most complex nuclear site. This includes cleaning up nuclear facilities and safeguarding nuclear fuel, materials and waste.

Summary of operating company performance:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2023/24	1
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	30
Behind schedule	The activity is delayed and currently forecast for completion behind schedule	7
Missed	The activity was due for completion during the financial year 2023/24 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

The activities that have been completed, are behind schedule, missed or deferred during 2023/24 are as follows:

Key Activities	Strategic outcome	Timescale	Status	Comments
Spent Fuel
Continue to retrieve fuels from FGMSP	3, 4	2023-2026	Behind schedule	FGMSP initiated a recovery plan at the end of 2022 to address several themes including deterioration in retrievals performance. This plan is still in flight.
Integrated Waste Management
Support risk reduction from Legacy Ponds through continued removal of fuel and waste from the facilities	31	2023-2026	Behind schedule	FGMSP initiated a recovery plan at the end of 2022 to address several themes including deterioration in retrievals performance. This plan is still in flight.
Commence retrievals from Pile Fuel Cladding Silo (PFCS)	31	2023-2026	Completed
Support the NDA’s strategy by continuing the programmes to receive and treat waste materials from Harwell and AWE Aldermaston	32	2023-2026	Behind schedule	Currently trending behind target (on a number of elements) but remains within strategic tolerance.
Continue the programme to repatriate overseas-owned vitrified waste to its country of origin	38	2023-2026	Behind schedule	Returns programme driven by customers and extends to FY 2029 minimum.
Support risk reduction through the continued vitrification of highly active liquor	36	2023-2026	Behind schedule	A throughput and impact assessment paper has been through the Sellafield’s governance. This paper reflected the extension to the HAL programme into 2039 (including completion of POCO liquor washout).
Critical enablers
Continue with improvements to the site utilities infrastructure		2023-2026	Behind schedule	Resources have been allocated to address and rectify priority issues associated with key assets/infrastructure. Senior Responsible Owner and new Programme structure in place which is accountable for the delivery of new capabilities required to support and enable delivery of Sellafield’s mission.
Continue the programme to ensure the analytical services capability is available to support the mission		2023-2026	Behind schedule	Delivery of the RAP capability is delayed and there are current issues regarding asset degradation within the analytical services facility. A team has been created specifically to resolve and mitigate asset care issues within the facility.

Magnox Limited

Magnox is an NDA subsidiary, responsible for 12 nuclear sites across the UK: Berkeley, Bradwell, Chapelcross, Dungeness A, Harwell, Hinkley Point A, Hunterston A, Oldbury, Sizewell A, Trawsfynydd, Winfrith and Wylfa. Magnox also generates electricity at the Maentwrog hydroelectric plant.

Summary of operating company performance:

Summary of corporate performance:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2023/24	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 2023/24 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

Summary of the site performance:

Site	Status
	Completed	On schedule	Behind schedule	Missed	Deferred
Berkeley	-	4	-	-	1
Bradwell (in care and maintenance)	-	1	-	-	-
Chapelcross	-	3	1	-	1
Dungeness A	-	4	1	-	-
Harwell	-	7	-	-	-
Hinkley Point A	-	4	-	-	-
Hunterston A	-	6	-	-	-
Oldbury	-	6	-	-	-
Sizewell A	-	5	-	-	-
Trawsfynydd	1	3	-	-	-
Winfrith	-	4	1	-	-
Wylfa	1	4	-	-	-

The activities that have been completed, are behind schedule, missed or deferred during 2023/24 are as follows:

Key activities	Strategic outcome	Timescale	Status	Commentary
Site Decommissioning and Remediation
Berkeley- Commence the deplant and demolition of the Caesium Removal Plant	42, 43	2023-2026	Deferred	Re-scheduled due to constrained funding.
Chapelcross- Prepare and execute land remediation of the cooling tower basins	46	2023-2026	Behind schedule	Strategy changes have extended the project end date.
Chapelcross- Commence and progress turbine hall asbestos removal	42	2025-2026	Deferred	Re-scheduled due to constrained funding.
Dungeness A- Prepare and progress the demolition of the boilers and associated buildings	43	2023-2026	Behind schedule	Extended commercial & approval timescales have delayed contract award.
Trawsfynydd- Continue and complete reactor height reduction enabling activities	42	2023-2024	Completed
Winfrith- Continue SGHWR decommissioning, including the completion of the construction and installation of the core segmentation equipment	42	2023-2026	Behind schedule	Delays incurred as a result of the principal contractor entering into administration.
Wylfa- Continue and complete asbestos removal from the de-aerator floor of the turbine hall	42	2023-2024	Completed

Dounreay

On 1 April 2023, Dounreay became a division of Magnox Limited. It is responsible for decommissioning and cleaning up the Dounreay site in the north of Scotland. It also operates a Low Level Waste (LLW) disposal facility to deal with waste from the site.

Summary of operating company performance:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2023/24	0
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	9
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 2023/24 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	1

The activities that have been completed, are behind schedule, missed or deferred during 2023/24 are as follows:

Key activities	Strategic outcome	Timescale	Status	Commentary
Integrated Waste Management
PFR Raffinate Immobilisation Complete	32	2023-2025	Deferred	Deferred in line with latest progress on residual sodium treatment.

Nuclear Waste Services

Nuclear Waste Services (NWS) launched in January 2022. This new organisation brings together the long-established expertise of site operator Low Level Waste Repository Limited (LLWR), Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) developer Radioactive Waste Management (RWM) Limited and the NDA’s Integrated Waste Management Programme. The NWS vision is to make nuclear waste permanently safe as soon as possible. It is focused on managing UK nuclear waste safely, innovatively, and sustainably, while driving value for money.

NWS is not a legal entity but provides strategic oversight over the operation and development of these businesses through a management board governance structure. The legal entities of LLWR and RWM will endure, although the intention is to move to a single legal entity operating under the NWS brand at an appropriate point in the future.

Summary of operating company performance:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2023/24	0
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	24
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 2023/24 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	1

The activities that have been completed, are behind schedule, missed or deferred during 2023/24 are as follows:

Key activities	Strategic outcome	Timescale	Status	Commentary
Integrated Waste Management
Delivery of thermal treatment of Plutonium Contaminated Material - design and build	34, 39	2023-2026	Deferred	Sellafield has identified an approach and will be the lead technology developer.
Site Decommissioning and Remediation
Complete enabling works for phased construction of the final capping for trenches 1 to 7 and Vault 8 (*)	41	2023-2026	Behind Target	Behind original targets with new dates currently being discussed with the Environmental Agency.

(*) indicates activities related to specific work at NWS Low Level Waste Repository site

Nuclear Transport Solutions

Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS) provides the NDA group with specialist transport and logistics capabilities.

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 Limited (PNTL) to deliver rail and shipping services for customers, building on decades of experience of providing safe, secure and reliable transport solutions.

Summary of operating company performance:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2023/24	0
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	9
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 2023/24 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	2

The activities that have been completed, are behind schedule, missed or deferred during 2023/24 are as follows:

Key activities	Strategic outcome	Timescale	Status	Commentary
Integrated Waste Management - High Level Waste
Continue to deliver important international transports of vitrified High Level Waste (HLW) and conditioned Intermediate Level Waste (ILW)	36, 37	2023-2026	Deferred	Next Japanese HLW shipment likely to take place in FY2027. Deferred by customer. German HLW shipments on schedule.
Critical Enablers
Continue to deliver NDA’s contractual obligations for transport of mixed oxide (MOX) fuel from France to Japan		2023-2026	Deferred	Shipment scheduled to take place in FY24 has been delayed by the customer to FY25.

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 of performance:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2023/24	2
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	3
Behind schedule	The activity is delayed and currently forecast for completion behind schedule	2
Missed	The activity was due for completion during the financial year 2023/24 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

The activities that have been completed, are behind schedule, missed or deferred during 2023/24 are as follows:

Key activities	Strategic outcome	Timescale	Status	Commentary
Critical Enablers
Re-competition of the commercial partner contract		2023-2024	Behind schedule	The current schedule forecasts an award date of March 2024 and contract commencement in July 2024.
Continuing development of the Hub and Spokes delivery model – centralised inventory and management with dispersed, off-site storage where appropriate		2023-2024	Completed
Working with stakeholders to continue the development and implementation of the NDA’s heritage strategy		2023-2024	Completed
Sellafield offsite collection sift completed and ready for accession		2024-2025	Behind schedule	Due to an increased scope, the completion date has moved. The impact will be assessed in Q3 FY 23/24.

NDA Properties Limited

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

Summary of performance:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2023/24	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 2023/24 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

Rutherford Indemnity Limited

Rutherford Indemnity Ltd 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 of performance:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2023/24	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 2023/24 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 of performance:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2023/24	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 2023/24 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

Springfields Fuels Limited

Springfields is a nuclear fuel manufacturing site and is located near Preston in Lancashire. The site is operated by Springfields Fuels Limited (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 freedom 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 of performance:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2023/24	0
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	1
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 2023/24 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

The activities that have been completed, are behind schedule, missed or deferred during 2023/24 are as follows:

Key activities	Strategic outcome	Timescale	Status	Commentary
Site Decommissioning and Remediation - Decommissioning and Demolition
Continue decommissioning of the Magnox Island	42, 43	2023-2026	Behind schedule	Progress delayed due to a number of factors, including the discovery of asbestos during pre-demolition surveys.

Capenhurst

The NDA Capenhurst site is located near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire.

In 2012, the site was transferred to URENCO, owners of the adjacent licensed site, and was amalgamated into a single nuclear licensed site. As part of this transfer, URENCO established Urenco Nuclear Stewardship (UNS), formerly known as Capenhurst Nuclear Services, to provide responsible 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 also provides broader decommissioning and demolition works for redundant facilities, in order to reduce liability and optimise space utilisation on site.

Summary of performance:

Status		Scheduled activities
Completed	The activity has been completed during the financial year 2023/24	0
On schedule	The activity is on track to be completed to schedule	1
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 2023/24 and has been missed	0
Deferred	Activity deferred due to re-prioritisation and/or reallocation of funding	0

The activities that have been completed, are behind schedule, missed or deferred during 2023/24 are as follows:

Key activities	Strategic outcome	Timescale	Status	Commentary
Site Decommissioning and Remediation - Decommissioning and Demolition
Continue decommissioning of key facilities	41, 42, 43, 47	2023-2025	Behind schedule	UNS experienced delays on one of the key decommissioning projects, which arose due to a number of factors, including difficulties remediating a substantial area of concrete floor/foundations.