According to the National Infrastructure Transformation Authority (NISTA), major government projects worth £198 billion are unachievable and at risk of failing.
NISTA, the government body tasked with improving infrastructure delivery, analysed 213 projects with total costs of £996 billion and rated 31 schemes as "red".
It assigns a red rating after identifying significant issues with:
Such projects may need re-scoping and their overall viability reassessed.
NISTA rated 30 projects as "green", where successful delivery is on time and budget, while quality appears highly likely. These schemes have no major outstanding issues that significantly threaten delivery.
A total of 135 projects were rated as "amber", which NISTA defines such schemes where successful delivery appears feasible, but significant issues require prompt "management attention".
Red-rated schemes include the Northern Powerhouse Rail project, with NISTA concerned that the £30.6 billion budget is unachievable and risks similar huge cost overruns seen with HS2.
Government plans for a vast underground geological disposal facility for the UK's nuclear waste also received a red rating. NISTA noted that no site has been identified for the facility, which would be built between 200 and 1,000 metres below ground or beneath the seabed. It added that the scheme's costs could run to between £20.3 billion and £53.3 billion.
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