GovWire

The NDA is responsible for one of the important environmental programmes in the world, decommissioning the UKs earliest nuclear sites safely, securely and sustainably, to leave a long-lasting positive legacy for future generations.

The Draft Business Plan reflects the NDAs most recent Strategy, published in 2021, and sets out key activities and the progress expected across all its sites during the next 3 years, in line with funding allocated by the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

Publication follows another year of progress across the NDA group, including significant steps to reduce hazards at Sellafield, where waste is being retrieved from all four legacy ponds and silos for the first time.

A restructure was also completed to create a simpler, stronger NDA group, taking opportunities to get the best value from working more closely together. The final planned step saw Dounreay join Magnox this year, becoming known collectively as Nuclear Restoration Services.

The Draft Business Plan sets out an ambitious programme for the next 3 years, with the focus remaining on safe delivery of the mission, the creation of great places to work and being trusted to do more. The mission will be progressed on a number of fronts, reducing hazards and aiming to get further benefits from working as a group. Significant projects will also be taken forward, including the work to identify a site that could host a Geological Disposal Facility.

The period covered by the Business Plan will also see change as the NDA is trusted to do more, including preparations for the first Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor site to transfer to the NDA group from EDF Energy for decommissioning.

Consultation guidelines

The consultation will run for eight weeks, from 4 December 2023 to 29 January 2024 in accordance with the criteria set out in theCabinet Offices Consultation principles guidelines. We want to hear from anyone who has a comment on any aspect of this document. In your response, please tell us whether youre replying as an individual or representing the views of an organisation. If youre acting on behalf of an organisation, please tell us its name and, if applicable, how you gathered the views of its members.

When looking at the responses, well give greater consideration to those that are based on evidence, rather than personal expressions of support or opposition.

You can respond by letter or email using the contact details below. Please address all responses to NDA Business Planning, Business Plan Consultation.

Confidentiality and data protection

Any information we receive in response to this consultation, including personal data, may be subject to publication or disclosure in accordance with UK information access legislation (the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004), unless suitable exemptions/exceptions apply. If you want the information that you provide to be treated as confidential please let us know, but be aware that we cannot guarantee confidentiality in all circumstances. For example, an automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system wont necessarily be binding on the NDA. Please refer to Information Commissioners Office (ICO) guidance on information provided in confidence for more detail.

Most of the personal information we collect and process is provided to us directly by you. This could include your name, email address, and anything that could be used to identify you. It is an essential part of the consultation process, so that we can contact you regarding your response or for statistical purposes. The NDA is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. Our Personal Information Charter explains your rights and gives you the information you are entitled to under data protection legislation (the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation). If you would like to exercise any of these rights please contact ourData Protection Officer. If you are dissatisfied with the way we have processed your data you may also contact the ICO.

Additional copies

You may make copies of this document without permission. If you need us to send you a printed copy, please emailour business planning team.

Next steps

Well consider responses to the consultation and revise this draft document as appropriate.

Subject to approval by the UK and Scottish Governments, well publish the final version of our Business Plan before the end of March 2024.