Day 2Tuesday, 2 September 2025

• Sellafield Overview -UK’s most complex nuclear site, now focused on cleanup and waste management
• Key Issues at Sellafield - Aging infrastructure, high-risk waste, environmental concerns, and regulatory pressure
• Decommissioning Nuclear Plants - Involves planning, dismantling, and site restoration
• Financing Decommissioning - Multi-billion dollar projects funded by governments, operators, and partnerships
• AI & Robotics in Decommissioning - AI aids in risk prediction and data analysis
• Robotics improve safety and efficiency in hazardous environments

• Planning field data capture relevant to the scenario
• General good practice principles of records and data management
• Scope and extent of the data (spatial & temporal)
• Non-intrusive & intrusive radiological data management examples
• Data review methods & example action levels for site release

• Introduction to EDF
• AGR defueling and decommissioning update
• The finite components of an AGR
• The future of EDF Energy
• Update on dry fuel storage at Sizewell B.

Decommissioning a facility to achieve a ‘cold and dark’ end state often involves encountering unexpected challenges. Over decades of operation, the cumulative effects of maintenance, modifications, obsolescence, and system upgrades can result in a limited understanding of the facility’s actual condition. Furthermore, design basis information may be incomplete, inaccurate, lost, or altogether unavailable in many older nuclear plants and fuel cycle facilities. These factors introduce significant uncertainties at the time of decommissioning.

This presentation introduces:

• The Configuration Management ‘Capture & Control’ Equilibrium Model.
• Incorporating The Four Questions of Decommissioning.
• Identifying systems that must remain operational and are Important to the Defueled Condition (ITDC).
• Highlighting key factors contributing to cost variances when comparing estimated and actual decommissioning costs from projects in the 1990s and 2000s.

This structured approach helps reduce uncertainty and better prepares teams for managing the ‘unexpected now’ to achieving a ‘cold and dark’ end state.

Finally, we will review the unique case of the Palisades Nuclear Plant, which permanently ceased operations in 2022 and began decommissioning, and is now transitioning back to operational status in 2025.

• Understanding the Nature of “Clean” Demolition Waste
• Environmental and Economic Impacts of Misclassification
• Scientific Basis for Clearance
• Regulatory and Public Perception Challenges
• Case Studies Demonstrating Success