Nuclear Decommissioning Authority launches facility to curb cyber threats

The UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has launched a specialised cyber facility to encourage collaboration across nuclear operators and the supply chain to defend against cyber threats.

The NDA is a non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and is looking to adopt innovative technologies such as AI and robotics to enhance cybersecurity.

According to NDA, cybersecurity attacks are a common and dynamic threat to the civil nuclear sector. The Group Cyberspace Collaboration Centre (GCCC) will help to mititgate these threats by providing a space for experts to share knowledge and learn how best to adopt new technologies to defend against evolving threats.

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David Peattie, NDA Group CEO, commented in a statement: “The GCCC is further enhancing our collective ability to keep us safe, secure, resilient and sustainable in cyberspace. Enabling us to work together more closely means we can defend as one, benefitting the collective security of the individual organisations we serve."

Representatives from government, the nuclear sector, regulators and the supply chain attended the official opening of the centre and heard about the NDA’s continued investment in cyber defences and the use of technology in delivering its decommissioning mission.

Warren Cain, ONR superintending inspector, added: "All nuclear sites must have strong cybersecurity systems in place to protect important information and assets from cyber threats.

“Cybersecurity is a key regulatory priority for the Office for Nuclear Regulation, and we welcome the NDA’s commitment to strengthen their cyber defences with this new specialist facility."

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The GCCC, situated in Herdus House in Cumbria, is part of the NDA group’s growing portfolio of digital and cyber capability including the Cyber Lab classroom at Energus, the Sellafield Engineering Centre of Excellence, and the Robotics and AI Collaboration centre (RAICo1).

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is the body tasked by the government to clean-up the UK’s earliest nuclear sites safely, securely and cost effectively. The NDA group is made up of the NDA and its four key component parts Sellafield, Nuclear Restoration Services, Nuclear Waste Services and Nuclear Transport Solutions.