The approval is the first step in the technology licencing process to make SMRs a reality in the U.K.
Lancashire, United Kingdom, Aug. 23, 2024 – Westinghouse Electric Company announced today it has received formal approval from the U.K. Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to enter the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) for the AP300™ Small Modular Reactor (SMR).
The Westinghouse AP300™ small modular reactor, the only SMR based on proven, deployed nuclear technology.
This is the first of the 2-Step GDA process that will initiate work with the Office for Nuclear Regulation, the Environment Agency and where applicable Natural Resources Wales. The AP300 SMR design utilizes Westinghouse’s proven Gen III+ AP1000® advanced technology, which has previously received regulatory approval in Great Britain, the U.S. and China, as well as compliance with European Utility Requirements (EUR) standards for nuclear power plants. This brings licencing advantages and substantially reduces delivery risk for customers in the utility, oil & gas and industrial space.
“We would like to thank the U.K. Department of Energy Security and Net Zero for their swift and positive consideration of our application to enter the AP300™ Small Modular Reactor for Generic Design Assessment. The U.K.’s familiarity with the AP300’s underpinning technology and our strong track record of licencing success in the U.K. and globally give us confidence that we will move through the GDA process at pace,” said Dan Lipman, Westinghouse Energy Systems President.
This GDA application approval comes after the AP300 SMR was selected for the current phase of Great British Nuclear in October and selected by Community Nuclear Power, Ltd. (CNP) to build four AP300 SMRs in Northeast England. These projects will leverage Westinghouse’s 75-year history of nuclear manufacturing operations in the U.K. at its facility in Springfields, Lancashire.
The AP300 small modular reactor is the only SMR based on an advanced, large Generation III+ reactor already in operation globally – Westinghouse’s proven AP1000 technology, which is licenced in the U.K. Unlike every other SMR under development with first-of-a-kind technologies and risks, Westinghouse’s AP300 SMR utilizes the AP1000 engineering, components and supply chain, enabling streamlined licencing and leveraging available technical skills. Together, these factors provide confidence that the first operating unit will be available in the early 2030s. The advantageous economics of the AP300 SMR are based on robust analysis and existing project costs from AP1000 reactors already in operation or development on three continents. The AP300 SMR is under consideration by customers in the U.K., Europe, and North America.
