The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has announced a major new partnership to trial advanced robotic technology aimed at transforming the way radioactive waste is managed in the UK.
In a first-of-its-kind deployment at a nuclear site, the Auto-SAS (automated sorting and segregation) system will be used to remotely and autonomously sort radioactive waste.
The project represents a significant step forward in the use of robotics in the nuclear sector and is intended to improve safety, reduce costs, and enhance waste classification.
The NDA has committed up to £9.5m over four years to support the initiative. The collaboration involves Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS), Sellafield, and Nuclear Waste Services (NWS), and will see the technology first deployed at the former Oldbury nuclear power station in South Gloucestershire.
Auto-SAS will be delivered by ARCTEC, a partnership between engineering and project management firm AtkinsRéalis and technology developer Createc.
The two companies previously developed key elements of the system during an earlier innovation competition and will now build on that work to deliver a deployable solution.
Radioactive waste segregation is currently carried out manually — a complex and hazardous process. As a result, mixed waste is often categorised conservatively as Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) or Plutonium Contaminated Material (PCM), leading to higher disposal costs and increased safety challenges.
The new system is designed to improve accuracy in waste classification by using a combination of sensors and robotic manipulators to identify and separate waste according to type and radioactivity level. This approach enables the diversion of lower-risk materials away from more expensive disposal routes and reduces human exposure to hazardous environments.
Auto-SAS will initially be deployed at the Oldbury site to separate low level waste from intermediate level waste recovered from the site’s vaults — a legacy of its operational days as a power station.
Achievements and innovations in retail and e-commerce, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, automotive, transport & logistics, and more will be celebrated at the Robotics & Automation Awards on 29 October 2025 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.roboticsandautomationawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s robotics and automation sectors!
