Sellafield to be prosecuted over alleged IT security offences

The charges relate to alleged information technology security offences during a four-year period between 2019 and early 2023.

General view of Sellafield Nuclear power plant, in Cumbria (PA) (PA Archive)

Sellafield will be prosecuted for alleged information technology security offences, the nuclear regulator has said.

A spokesman for the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) said Sellafield Ltd, which runs the site in Cumbria, had been notified of the prosecution, under the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003.

The charges relate to alleged information technology security offences during a four-year period between 2019 and early 2023, the regulator said.

The ONR spokesman said there was no suggestion that public safety had been compromised as a result of these issues.

The site, in Cumbria, is run by Sellafield Ltd under the control of the Government’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

In December, after an investigation by The Guardian, Sellafield denied reports that its IT networks had been attacked by cyber groups linked to Russia and China.

The ONR said the decision to bring legal proceedings followed an investigation, and details of the first court hearing would be announced when available.