Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Decommissioning definition

What does Decommissioning mean? Decommissioning describes the end‑of‑life phase of an energy or industrial installation: the managed cessation of operations, making safe, plugging and abandonment (for wells), dismantling and removal of plant, equipment and materials, waste management, and environmental remediation and restoration of the site. It is a descriptive expression used across multiple regimes, but in key sectors it is governed by statute, licences and consents. In the UK, offshore oil and gas decommissioning is regulated under the Petroleum Act 1998 (requiring an approved decommissioning programme and imposing continuing liabilities). Offshore renewables and pipelines are covered by the Energy Act 2004. Nuclear decommissioning...

Planning and environmental regulation of nuclear decommissioning in England and Wales: policy, EIA, permitted development and appeals

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Practice notes

Background

Decommissioning nuclear Sites means addressing redundant plants that have finished their working lives. Planning for this work runs in parallel with the licensing framework overseen by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). Its goals are to return the land to a condition suitable for alternative use, and to achieve both de-licensing and de-designation of the site. ONR identifies two decommissioning strategies used or considered in the UK:

Immediate dismantling removes structures and radioactive materials soon after shutdown, aiming for swift release from nuclear regulatory oversight and constraints on future use.
Deferred dismantling places the facility, including some or all radioactive material, into a safe storage state once nuclear fuel has been taken out. The plant is then decontaminated and taken down later, often several decades afterwards.

Historically, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) preferred the deferred route, but, in April 2024, announced that its subsidiary Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) would move towards a...

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Web page updated on 22/05/2026

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