Magnox rebrands to Nuclear Restoration Services as its decommissioning portfolio expands

Nuclear Restoration Services

Magnox has become Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) ahead of taking ownership of closing EDF nuclear sites.

NRS, part of the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) group, is responsible for safely decommissioning first generation nuclear reactor and research sites across the UK and restoring them for future use.

As Magnox, the company was responsible for safe and secure cleanup of 12 nuclear sites. In April, it additionally took on the decommissioning of the Dounreay nuclear site in Scotland when it merged with Dounreay Site Restoration (DSR). The site is owned by NDA, but DSR was contracted to deliver its decommissioning programme.

Two years ago, it was agreed that NDA would become responsible for decommissioning EDF’s seven advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGRs), once power generation had ended and defueling had been completed. Hunterston B was the first AGR to come offline in January last year, followed by Hinkley Point B in August 2022. EDF expects all the sites will stop operating by 2028.

Ownership of Hunterston B is expected to transfer in 2026, with the others to follow on a rolling basis over the next decade.

Announcing the name change, NRS said that it would focus on the future by investing in its workforce, assets, communities, sites, and surrounding landscapes to ensure it leaves a sustainable nuclear legacy. It added that it will continue to ensure the safe decommissioning of its nuclear sites.

Rob Fletcher, CEO of NRS, said: “This is more than a change of sign – it is a demonstration of the organisation we want to be – delivery focused, transformative, innovative, and growing.”

David Peattie, CEO of NDA, said: “Dounreay and Magnox are organisations with a proud history of energy generation, pioneering research, and first-of-a-kind decommissioning innovation.

“Bringing them together is significant in creating a simpler and stronger NDA group, working together to achieve our collective mission of safe and secure nuclear decommissioning – delivering value for the taxpayer.

“As one organisation, Nuclear Restoration Services can harness its collective skills, capability and resources to continue to successfully deliver our important work, while also enabling us to grow.”

NDA owns one of the largest nuclear decommissioning and remediation programmes in Europe, with the NDA group now comprising NDA and its four key component parts: Sellafield, NRS, Nuclear Waste Services, and Nuclear Transport Solutions.