The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Stakeholders helping to shape NDA’s next Strategy

11 July 2008

Stakeholders’ views are key to the development of the NDA’s next Strategy. The 6th meeting of the National Stakeholder Group, which took place in Edinburgh at the end of May, gave them an opportunity to become involved at an early stage in the strategy development process.

Richard Waite, Executive Divisional Director of the NDA’s Strategy Division said the NSG provided a golden opportunity to share our early thinking with stakeholders on development of the next Strategy.

“We need a really effective programme of stakeholder engagement on what we are planning strategically and the reasoning behind our thinking. We need your input to keep our feet on the ground and to keep us accountable,” he said.

Adrian Simper, NDA’s Head of Strategy, presented the meeting with the Strategy Management System which outlines the way in which the organisation is developing and co-ordinating the strategy development process.

“The context in which we operate has changed, there are global initiatives like GNEP and the UK new build proposals together with the NDA’s new responsibilities for developing the UK-wide Low Level Waste strategy and the implementation of the deep geological repository have to be taken into account,” he said.

Adrian spelt out the six Strategic themes which are

• Site Restoration
• Nuclear Materials Management
• Spent Fuels Management
• Integrated Waste Management
• Business Optimisation
• Critical Enablers.

Within those six themes are a total of 24 topics. View presentation from the NSG by Adrian Simper on the NDA Strategy Review and Management System.

He told the meeting the NDA is seeking stakeholder views on the choice of topics.

“We want feedback from you on this new framework and for you to help us identify any additional topics and priorities that could be included as well as how those could be addressed.

The meeting then split into workshop mode with attendees considering concerns or issues they felt the Strategy should cover and also in identifying the priority issues and how these could be addressed.

At the end of the two day event, Richard Waite said:

“We wanted to use this forum to explain our thinking to you and to listen to your views. It has been a huge success from the point of helping us to work through what the next Strategy needs to cover. We want your involvement in the process and we need to know how you want to be engaged.”

It is anticipated that following the full consultation period the new Strategy should receive Government approval in April 2011.