Catalogue description Records of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and its predecessors

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) was established in 2005 under the Energy Act 2004. It is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) with ministerial responsibility resting with the Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

The NDA has responsibility for managing the decommissioning and clean upclean-up of the UK's public sector nuclear legacy safely, securely, cost effectively and in ways that safeguard the environment for this and future generations. The legacy includes sites and facilities which were developed in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s to support HMG's defence and nuclear power generation research, together with wastes, and materials, and spent fuels produced by these programmes. For example, the first generation of 'Magnox' nuclear power stations, built in the 1960s and 1970s, together with plant and facilities at Sellafield used for reprocessing 'Magnox' fuel and associated wastes and materials.

The NDA has additional responsibility for implementing government policy on higher activity radioactive waste, and the low-level waste strategy.