Good progress has been made with remediation work at the Sellafield nuclear site in Cumbria, northwest England, but completion of the project will demand “many decades of sustained national focus”, the chief nuclear inspector’s annual report says.

The report says continued focus from site operator Sellafield Limited has led to several high-priority projects coming to fruition, specifically in the preparation for early waste retrieval on the site.

Notable progress at Sellafield includes the removal of volumes of radioactive waste and spent fuel from legacy ponds and significant progress in preparations for the retrievals from the legacy silos.