Geological Disposal Facility

Infrastructure and Construction

Record date: 31 March 2026

Whole-life cost: Not disclosed
Published schedule: 12/06/2008 – Low: 31/01/2050, Mid: 31/03/2050, High: 31/03/2060
NISTA delivery confidence: RED
Senior responsible owner: Seth Kybird

What the project is for

A GDF provides an internationally recognised, safe, and permanent solution for the UK’s most hazardous radioactive waste. As a nationally significant infrastructure programme a GDF will also provide an opportunity to sustainably boost the local economy of the host community to transform itself for many generations. The programme also supports the delivery of the UK’s nuclear new build programme.

Departmental delivery commentary

Compared to financial year 24/25 the NISTA Delivery confidence assessment (DCA) rating at 25/26 remained at 'Red'. This is primarily due to the following factors, withdrawal of one of the remaining three community partnerships reducing the portfolio diversity, outcome of the full spending review settlement resulting in reduced programme scope delivery over the next few years and deferral of critical path activities in the move to the next phase. An action plan is in place to address the next steps as identified.

Schedule

Compared to financial year 24/25-Q4, the project's end-date remains in the range 2050-2060. This is primarily due to the following factors‚ the programme has continued to progress the site evaluation and community willingness activities during 25/26. The programme continues to prioritise activities in line with the available SR settlement funding.

Cost

The project's departmentally agreed Whole Life Cost at 25/26-Q4 (measured in £m) remains in the range of £20,300m to £53,300m at 17/18 money values. This is primarily due to the following factors: the programme is at an early stage of development, and the range reflects the uncertainty of the programme associated with potential host site, geology and technical requirements.

Benefits

As the programme is at such an early stage there are currently no baselined monetised benefits. The benefits of a GDF are wide-ranging and will span many future generations, they all into four main categories: 1) It is an essential environmental protection project – finally disposing of legacy most hazardous radioactive waste and providing a safe permanent solution. 2) Enabling the completion of the NDA decommissioning mission across the NDA Group – avoiding the very significant costs and risks of keeping the waste safe and secure in storage facilities above ground for many thousands of years. 3) An enabler for nuclear new build. 4) Significant host community benefits – transformational opportunity by creating thousands of jobs, a highly skilled local workforce, and business opportunities for more than 100 years. The near-term community benefits continue to be delivered with over £14m of Community Investment funding awarded across the Community Partnerships formed to date.

Delivery ratings

NISTA assessment: RED
SRO assessment: Not disclosed

These are the published NISTA and senior responsible owner assessments, not UK Pulse scores.

Financial year

Baseline: £90.9m
Forecast: £71.1m
Variance: 21.7%

The in-year budget variance this year is greater than minus 5% compared to the budget with underspend due to the outcome of the spending review settlement for 25/26 and further requests for budget reduction in line with other NDA group prioritisation and efficiencies. The main variance to the budget spend in year was due closure of the Theddlethorpe Community Partnership in June 2025. Further reductions in internal spend were due to mutually agreed voluntary exit and associated slowdown in external spend to align with the overall SR settlement.

Expected benefits

Not disclosed

Evaluation plan

Open evaluation plan

View official source