Nuclear Decommissioning Authority: 2026 review
The government has commissioned an independent review of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to assess its performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
Documents
Details
Purpose of the review
The independent review has been commissioned to provide assurance to His Majesty’s government on the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s (NDA) performance and governance, following the last formal review in 2021.
The review will focus on the following key areas:
- strategic planning and management
- project and programme delivery
- financial management
The objectives are to:
- review NDA’s performance, governance, and financial controls, recognising formal governance roles
- challenge current practices and propose bold, value-for-money recommendations to set a new benchmark for NDA’s effectiveness
- highlight good practice while identifying areas for improvement to strengthen overall performance
We have published the full terms of reference of the review.
Review team
Dr Tim Stone CBE - lead reviewer
Tim has previously acted as a senior expert adviser to 5 Secretaries of State in 2 successive UK governments and more widely across HMG. He has experience across infrastructure, finance, nuclear power, and water supply projects. He is widely recognised as a global nuclear expert and is well connected across the UK nuclear industry, with a strong background in corporate finance and advisory. Tim is the Chair of Nuclear Risk Insurers, a Non-Executive Director of Great British Energy - Nuclear and a member of the Audit and Risk Committee. During its first phase of work, he was heavily involved in the creation of, and chaired, the Industry Advisory Group which resulted in the creation of Great British Energy - Nuclear to accelerate the delivery of new nuclear power in the UK.
Professor Zara Hodgson
Professor Zara Hodgson FREng is an internationally renowned expert in nuclear energy policy and research. She has been pivotal in the recent UK Government interventions to grow the UK’s nuclear fuel production capability, delivering advances for the global Net Zero mission, and generating energy security through building resilient supply chains. Professor Hodgson is the Director of the Dalton Nuclear Institute and a Professor of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Manchester where she is leading contributions to the national nuclear programmes through high impact research, education, training and independent advice.
Dr Derek Lacey
Dr Derek Lacey was appointed to the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management in November 2019 and is now one of the two Vice Chairs. Derek served as a Director at the International Atomic Energy Agency in the period 2014 to 2019. He previously had roles as Deputy Chief Inspector in the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and Head of Nuclear and Radioactive Waste Management Policy at the UK Department for Energy and Climate Change.
Elaine Clements
Elaine’s career spans the private, public and charity sectors in the UK and internationally, including senior roles in financial services with broad regulatory and risk management expertise. She served as a nonexecutive member of the BEIS Audit, Risk and Assurance Committee and the DESNZ ARAC from 2019 to 2025, focusing on governance, risk management, legal, controls and assurance. She is also a nonexecutive director and chair of audit and risk committees across several asset management companies and custody platforms, including Invesco and the University of Cambridge’s endowment management company. Previously, Elaine held global executive roles and was Global Chief Compliance Officer at JPMorgan Asset Management from 2006–2019, overseeing compliance advisory, regulatory risk assessment and monitoring. She also advised governments and multinational organisations as a commercial lawyer at Slaughter and May. Elaine holds an MA in Law from Oxford University.
Rob Holden
Rob is currently employed as Chair for Cascade Infrastructure on the Haweswater Aqueduct resilience programme (HARP) for United Utilities. He previously served as a Non-Executive Director on the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) Board from 2015 to 2021 and Chair of Sizewell C from 2022 to 2024. Between 1999 and 2009, he led the London & Continental Railways (LCR) team through a series of landmark transactions that secured the future of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, later known as High Speed 1. In recognition of his contributions to the rail industry, Rob was awarded a CBE in 2009.
Contact us
We would welcome any evidence or views you may have on the areas set out in the Terms of Reference. Please write to us at NDAReview2026@energysecurity.gov.uk.
Next steps
The review will begin in January 2026 and is expected to report findings by Autumn 2026.
Updates to this page
-
Full details of Review team added.
-
Added a link to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority review privacy notice.
-
First published.