The U.K.'s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has confirmed that nuclear-fuel processing and decommissioning facility Sellafield Ltd. received $2.17 billion from the U.K. government late last week as part of the government’s spending review.
Beginning on April 1, the Cumbria, England, facility will be placed under NDA management to streamline the process of decontaminating and decommissioning the site, which includes the Windscale and Calder Hall nuclear plants. Both are being decommissioned.
“This level of funding for Sellafield reflects tremendous support from the government, and this will enable us to make vital progress on cleaning up the high-hazard facilities at Sellafield, particularly the legacy ponds and silos,” NDA CEO John Clarke said. " But we have made an unequivocal commitment to the government that in return, we will expect Sellafield Ltd. to place the greatest possible emphasis on value for money.”
Despite the financial support from the government, the company will be pursuing efficiency in operations and to facilitate economic growth in the local community.
“We are entering a crucial phase in the history of Sellafield as our mission changes from being an operational nuclear facility into a fully-fledged decommissioning site, and we transition into a new management model as a subsidiary of the NDA,” Sellafield Managing Director Paul Foster said. “It is vital that Sellafield Ltd. continues to change to ensure it is fit-for-purpose and able to rise to these challenges.”
Alerts Sign-up