Sellafield recall

What the inquiry looked at

“Sellafield is the largest and most hazardous site in the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's estate and is home to an extraordinary accumulation of hazardous waste, much of it stored in outdated nuclear facilities. It is run for the Authority by Sellafield Limited, the company licensed by regulators to operate the site. In November 2008, the Authority contracted with an international consortium—Nuclear Management Partners Limited (NMP)—to improve Sellafield Limited's management of the site. When the Committee first examined progress in decommissioning facilities at Sellafield in November 2012, it was concerned by the failure of successive governments to tackle issues on the site while total lifetime costs for decommissioning the site continued to rise each year. By the time the Committee revisited the inquiry 12 months later, costs had risen a further £3 billion with the latest cash estimates for dealing with nuclear waste on the site exceeding £70 billion. NMP had not provided the clear leadership, strong management and improved capabilities needed to deliver the performance required at Sellafield. The Committee questioned the Authority’s decision to extend NMP’s contract for a further five year term. On 13 January this year, the Department for Energy and Climate Change announced that it was terminating the contract with NMP in order to simplify the relationship between the NDA and Sellafield Ltd and bring greater clarity and focus on achieving progress and value for money. This inquiry will allow the Committee to examine progress made at the site in the last year and expectations for the simplified management arrangements. Further information Public Accounts Committee report: Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: managing the risk at Sellafield, 4 February 2013 Public Accounts Committee report: Progress at Sellafield, 11 February 2014 (PDF 1.15 MB)”

The committee's words, from the inquiry page on parliament.uk ↗.

How the inquiry ran

Evidence

Oral evidence sessions 1