Corporate report: Office for Nuclear Regulation strategy 2026

Presented to Parliament pursuant to Paragraph 22 and 25(3) of Schedule 7 to the Energy Act 2013.

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Our role as the UK’s independent nuclear regulator

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is the United Kingdom’s independent statutory regulator for nuclear safety, civil nuclear security, safeguards and conventional health and safety on licensed sites. Through our independent decision making and oversight, we provide confidence that nuclear activities across Great Britain meet the standards expected by Parliament and the public, ensuring people and the environment are protected. Our responsibilities span the full lifecycle of nuclear operations from the existing reactor fleet and fuel cycle facilities, through waste management and decommissioning, to defence and other licensed and authorised sites. We also regulate the safe transport of civil nuclear and radioactive materials, oversee the protection of sensitive nuclear information and account for civil nuclear materials in line with the UK’s international safeguards obligations. As new reactor designs, small modular reactors (SMRs), and advanced nuclear technologies (ANTs) emerge, we play an essential role in enabling innovation to progress safely and securely.

Looking ahead – the future we need to regulate