Commentary on Sections Chapter 1: Nuclear Decommissioning Section 15: Duty to decommission and clean up installations and sites
92.Section 15 sets out what the NDA has to do in order to discharge a responsibility it is given under section 3 for decommissioning or cleaning‑up. It puts a specific duty on the NDA to take all such steps as it considers appropriate for securing the implementation of its approved strategy and annual work plan in respect of each of the installations and sites which it has designated responsibility for decommissioning and cleaning up. This includes achieving the objectives set out in the strategy under section 12(4) and (5), for each installation or site. Where a site is a contaminated site rather than a principal nuclear site (for definitions see section 37), the duty is subject to such directions as the Secretary of State may make in respect of the discharge of the NDA’s responsibilities for such sites (subsection (3)). Such directions are to be given jointly with Scottish Ministers in respect of sites in Scotland. Thus the Secretary of State cannot give the NDA directions as to how the NDA is to carry out its main decommissioning and cleaning up task on principal nuclear sites. This is to be up to the NDA, subject to the need for the Secretary of State to approve the strategy and annual plan under sections 11 and 13 respectively.