Agreement between Sogin and the UK’s NDA for the decommissioning of graphite-moderated nuclear reactors

05 May 2026

​Today, Gian Luca Artizzu, CEO of Sogin, the Italian state-owned company responsible for the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and the management of radioactive waste, and David Peattie, CEO of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), the UK public body tasked with decontaminating and decommissioning the UK's nuclear facilities, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to launch a joint effort on decommissioning techniques for graphite-moderated nuclear reactors. The signing took place at the presence of representatives of the Italian Embassy in London.

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The five-year agreement responds to the UK company's desire to explore issues related to the decommissioning of an irradiated graphite reactor and provides Sogin with an opportunity to share and expand its experience in planning the decommissioning of Magnox-type reactors, such as the one at the Latina nuclear power plant.

The memorandum includes three strategic objectives. The first involves sharing experiences and promoting the exchange of know-how on decommissioning techniques for a graphite-moderated nuclear reactor, through a structured schedule of meetings and visits between the teams of the two companies. The second aims to strengthen the skills of the respective technical staff, including through specific training programs. This, with the third and further goal of paving the way for new and potential future collaborations.​

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The agreement follows those signed in recent weeks with the Italian company Graphicore and the Japanese company JAPC and is part of Sogin's commitment to expanding and strengthening its collaboration with the leading international partners in the sector. Through a shared approach, Sogin aims to tackle the dismantling of the nuclear island at the Latina power plant—one of the most complex technical and engineering challenges in the decommissioning of a nuclear facility. 

“Collaboratiing on methods and technologies for civil nuclear operations reflects the high level of sophistication the sector has achieved in Europe and around the world," said Gian Luca Artizzu, CEO of Sogin, on the sidelines of the agreement signing. “Being able to share best practices with similar companies within the IAEA framework," he continued, “represents a true virtuous cycle, an indispensable asset within our industrial sector"​

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