The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority has signalled a successful year in its 2008/09 Annual Report & Accounts laid before Parliament today, delivering its programme within its £2.7 Bn budget and with £183 M of efficiency savings ploughed back into the clean-up mission.

Key 2008/09 programme highlights include:
Significant progress in hazard reduction at Sellafield
Completion of a major decommissioning milestone at Dounreay with the demolition of the PUMA cell
Defuelling of two further Magnox stations commenced*
Vault 9 construction underway at the Low Level Waste Repository
Sellafield competition completed
Nuclear Skills Strategy launched**

Asset Disposal programme underway (with £387M raised from land sales at 3 sites in 2009/2010)
This successful delivery programme is set against a backdrop of strong financial performance. Commercial income for the year was £2.0 Bn – a £517M increase on the previous year, due in part to increased electricity sales from the Oldbury and Wylfa stations. This has meant that the Government grant element of the NDA's funding reduced to £898M from the previous year's figure of £1.6B – the income surplus has helped to increase the amount of contingency funds held by Government to help address NDA's future challenges.

NDA Chairman Stephen Henwood said:
"This report shows clearly that the NDA is now moving into full delivery mode, getting to grips with our core clean-up mission as the evidence shows for each site. We have added real value right across our estate: from the highly successful conclusion of the Sellafield competition to the innovative land auction process."

"It is in the key area of hazard reduction that I am most pleased. This is what we were created to do. Defuelling is now complete or underway at 7 out of 9 closed Magnox stations and another is about to start this summer. Good progress is being made in the major projects at Sellafield that will reduce the risks from our highest hazards and at Dounreay we have seen real progress in tackling parts of the legacy that were previously considered too difficult; these are real achievements to be proud of. There is much more to be done however as we increase our focus on delivery, performance and value for money in what will be a challenging financial environment."

Background
*  Defuelling of a Magnox station removes over 95% of the radiological hazard from the site when completed

**The NDA's skills strategy contains various projects that together represent an investment of £43.5M

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