Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 9
9
Accepted
Plutonium management at Sellafield shows improvement, with long-term strategy to reduce risks by 2060.
Recommendation
The Department, NDA and Sellafield Ltd have all taken actions to improve the management of the plutonium stored at Sellafield since the previous Committee expressed concerns about this. The previous Committee raised then the lack of a long–term strategy for the stockpile.16 The Department has now decided that a new facility should be built to put the plutonium beyond use – which clarifies what the NDA and Sellafield Ltd will need to do.17 Sellafield Ltd has taken action to resolve some of the most pressing issues, improving how some of the plutonium is packaged and stored. As a result, the Office for Nuclear Regulation has closed two of its highest–priority concerns.18 While the risks from the plutonium are still greater than the level which Sellafield Ltd is content to accept, it believes that it will be able to reduce them to an acceptable level by 2060.19 10 Qq 52, 54–55, 57 11 C&AG’s report, Figure 8; Letter from the Group Chief Executive Officer at the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority relating to the oral evidence session held on 20 March on Decommissioning Sellafield, 4 April 2025, page 8 12 C&AG’s report, Figure 9 13 Q 41 14 Q 55 15 Qq 12–13 16 Committee of Public Accounts, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: risk reduction at Sellafield, Sixty–Fifth Report of session 2017 –2019, HC 1375, 31 October 2018 17 Q 18 18 Q 14 19 C&AG’s report, para 2.12 10 Sellafield’s approach to target setting
Government Response Summary
The government accepted the recommendation, stating Sellafield Ltd will provide an update on future analytical capability plans by December 2025 and a further update with a delivery schedule upon Outline Business Case completion for Special Nuclear Material capability by June 2026.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the recommendation. Target implementation date: June 2026 Future analytical capability is required at Sellafield to test the properties of materials such as nuclear fuels and waste, and Special Nuclear Material (SNM) such as plutonium. Sellafield Ltd will provide an update on future analytical capability plans as alternatives to the Replacement Analytical Project within six months of the publication of this report (December 2025). A further update will be given once the Outline Business Case to provide the SNM capability has been completed (June 2026) which will include a schedule for delivery (and associated confidence level). The 2024 NAO report noted positive progress had been made in major project delivery at Sellafield, identifying that more recent projects are expected to be completed in line with business case assumptions. It recognised the positive ratings received by key projects from the then Infrastructure Projects Authority, and the gains made in Reference Class Forecasting to improve cost estimates. The nationally recognised project delivery entity, the Programme and Project Partners (PPP) model was noted positively in the report: “Sellafield and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority believe that the PPP model has contributed significantly to strong performance on two of its first three projects, and external reviews have also identified a strong internal culture that is adding value to Sellafield.” A target focused on improving project and contract delivery by sharing and implementing lessons learned was successfully delivered in 2024-25 and will inform the NDA’s group-wide organisational learning policy.