Environment Regulation and Strategy Development

Your Next Step in Nuclear Problem Solving

Eden We advise on environmental permitting, best available techniques (BAT), and optimisation, and we support organisations in adapting to regulatory changes. Our capabilities in this area include:

Our Capabilities Include:

- Applying BAT and optimisation principles to support robust environmental permitting and safety case development.

- Optimising environmental and radiological strategies to achieve proportionate, risk-informed outcomes in line with regulatory expectations.

- Supporting organisations to interpret and adapt to evolving regulatory frameworks, ensuring compliance and alignment with current policy and guidance.

Why pick us?

We provide direct access to former regulators with UK and international experience. This allows us to focus on areas of anticipated regulatory scrutiny and reduce the risk of challenge or rework.

We provide clear interpretations of legislation, bringing informed understanding of meeting regulatory expectations and standards of excellence. This minimises programme delays and approval uncertainty.

Our extensive understanding of UK regulatory frameworks and disposal pathways supports the resolution of complex waste management challenges, including problematic waste forms and novel disposal concepts, with proportionate and compliant strategies.

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Core Service Details:

Environmental Regulation and Strategy Development at Eden

We provide support with environmental and radioactive substances regulation across the full facility lifecycle, covering permitting, operation, decommissioning and disposal.

This includes the development and review of Environmental Safety Cases, environmental permits and the radiological assessments needed to underpin discharges, disposals and storage. We also advise on how to meet regulatory expectations and relevant international guidance, with a particular focus on optimisation/BAT and ALARA principles.

Our work integrates planning considerations, assessment of transboundary impacts from radioactive waste disposal, and environmental permitting requirements for both new and existing nuclear and radioactive waste facilities.

Our senior staff have backgrounds advising Government, the NDA and regulators, bringing clear insight into regulatory expectations and what “good” looks like in submissions, supported by strong links to national programmes and frameworks so that our advice remains aligned with current national strategy and good practice.

Senior led teams can plug into new build or fuel cycle projects at any stage, offering targeted support on permitting strategies, safety case integration and options assessments without the constraints and overheads of a large consultancy.

Our Case Study Examples:

Technical Investigations of the Near-Surface Disposal of HAW from Sites in Scotland

Between June 2022 and January 2024, Eden NE led a feasibility study considering Near-Surface Disposal (NSD) in Scotland. Scottish Higher Activity Waste (HAW) Policy is that HAW should be managed in near-surface facilities, which could include NSD facilities. We were supported by our subcontractors WSP, Hydrock Ltd, Gardiner and Theobald and Cyclife UK in delivering this large project. In total, a team of around 40 people were involved in this work, including Andy Baker as Project Manager and Paul Tulip as a Design and Optimisation Expert.

The study considered all technical areas relevant to the feasibility of NSD in Scotland, including the policy and regulatory context, design concepts, site characteristics, environmental performance of different concepts, potential Scottish inventory suitable for NSD, transport, nuclear safety and security, cost and schedule. Eight design concepts with different depths of disposal, access approach and degrees of retrievability were developed, and indicative costs and schedules were prepared for each concept. Inventory constraints were developed for each design based on environmental performance considerations and used to identify potential inventory in different scenarios.

As well as leading and managing the project, Eden NE undertook the work setting out policy and regulatory context, carried out radiological assessment calculations to derive constraints on inventory for the different NSD design concepts under consideration and applied them to the UKRWI to estimate how much of the Scottish HAW inventory could be disposed in the different concepts. We also supported and coordinated our subcontractors' work in the other technical areas and produced the technical report presenting the outcome of the feasibility study.

Strengthening Emergency Planning for Future Nuclear Developments

To strengthen emergency planning and preparedness for a proposed nuclear new build, our team undertook a comprehensive evaluation focused on understanding the behaviour of radionuclides in urban environments. Particular attention was paid to their transport and retention within sewerage and drainage systems—critical pathways in post-incident scenarios.

Building on our extensive background in environmental radioactivity, we combined analytical review, modelling, and international benchmarking to assess best practices. The study incorporated insights from global research programmes, simulation tools, and experimental testing to ensure a robust evidence base.

The evaluation led to a set of prioritised recommendations defining key research and operational next steps. These included specific proposals for collaboration between industry stakeholders and academic partners to advance predictive modelling capabilities and improve emergency response planning frameworks.