Westinghouse SMR design approved for UK review

The UK's Department for Energy Conservation and Net Zero Emissions (DESNZ) has approved the Westinghouse AP300, a small modular reactor (SMR), with the intention of entering General Design Review (GDA).

The GDA process is carried out by the Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency (EA) and sometimes by Natural Resources Wales. The process aims to assess the safety, security and environmental protection aspects of nuclear power design implemented in the UK. On successful completion of the GDA process, Design Acceptance Confirmation will be issued by ONR and Design Acceptance Report by EA.

In May 2021, the UK opened the GDA process for advanced nuclear technologies, including SMR. Westinghouse applied for the GDA process for their AP300 design in February this year. With DESNZ's approval, the SMR design will now enter the first of two stages of the GDA process, where the scope of the GDA is determined based on the information Westinghouse provides to regulators. In step 2, a detailed technical assessment is carried out by regulatory authorities.

Builds on established technology

The AP300, which has a power output of 300 MW, is based on the Westinghouse AP1000 technology, a design already licensed in the UK. AP1000 units have regulatory approval and are operational in China and the US, and the design also meets European requirements for nuclear power plants. According to Westinghouse, this provides licensing benefits and reduces the risk of supply issues for customers.

“We would like to thank the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero Emissions for their prompt and positive assessment of our application to initiate a common design review of the AP300 Small Modular Reactor,” said Dan Lipman, President of Westinghouse Energy Systems.

– The UK's experience with AP300's underlying technology and our strong track record in licensing in the UK and globally gives us confidence to move quickly through the GDA process.

Expected to be operational by early 2030s

Westinghouse emphasizes that their AP300 SMR, unlike other SMRs developed with first-time technologies and resulting risks, utilizes the proven AP1000 technology and its components and supply chain. This allows for streamlined licensing and makes it possible to use existing technical capabilities, raising hopes that the first unit could be operational in the early 2030s.

Westinghouse was one of six SMR suppliers selected last October to receive UK government support as part of a plan to quadruple the country's nuclear power capacity to 24 gigawatts by 2050. AP300 units in North East England, the UK's first privately funded SMR fleet.

Other Current GDA Ratings

Generic design reviews have previously been completed for the EDF/Areva UK EPR, Westinghouse AP1000, Hitachi-GE UK ABWR and CGN/EDF/GNI UK HPR1000 designs. Currently, GTA evaluations are underway for the Rolls-Royce SMR Limited small modular reactor design, the GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy GPRX-300 SMR design, and the Holden International SMR-300.

Source: Nuclear World News