Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 24
24
Accepted
Sellafield decommissioning costs have significantly risen, potentially compromising long-term value for money.
Recommendation
The forecast cost of decommissioning Sellafield has risen considerably since we last reported. It now stands at £136 billion, an increase of 18.8% since March 2019.68 We challenged the witnesses about the adequacy of the NDA’s budget as we are concerned that unwillingness to spend money in the short term is compromising long–term value for money as, ultimately, all the buildings on the site will need to be taken down.69
Government Response Summary
The government accepted the recommendation, committing to undertake scenario planning by December 2026 to assess the impact of different funding levels on the Sellafield mission and inform group-level strategic planning.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: December 2026 5.2 To provide improved visibility of the uncertainty associated with the Sellafield Ltd mission which spans 100+ years, scenario planning will be undertaken with a focus on the impact of different funding levels. This will be generated alongside an update to the current plan of NDA and Sellafield Ltd mission. 5.3 Utilising the Group Strategic Planning capability any Sellafield Ltd scenarios will be used to inform group level modelling and determine estate-wide impacts. Scenarios are informed by strategic assumptions, decisions, options and performance as appropriate. 5.4 Noting that this will be a first iteration of presenting the Sellafield Ltd plan in the context of a range, a period of maturation will be required to ensure a clear and comprehensive logic exists. 5.5 It will be necessary to agree the mechanism and timing, including what is published, noting that the NDA already publishes the Nuclear Liabilities estimate which has scrutiny and sign-off from the NAO.