Three nuclear regulators, including the Czech regulator, to cooperate on licensing of Nuward modular reactor

European nuclear regulators, led by the French nuclear safety authority ASN, will cooperate on analysing rules for licensing small modular reactors. The aim is to harmonise rules for this technology across countries. The reference design for the modular reactor will be the Nuward project of French company EDF.  

French energy company EDF announced that its Nuward small modular reactor (SMR) design will help European regulators gain experience with this technology. The review, led by France’s ASN, will also involve Finnish regulator STUK and the Czech State Office for Nuclear Safety (SÚJB).

The analysis will address, among other things, national licensing rules and safety standards. The authorities are also expected to discuss procedures and share their experience to date.

EDF expects the cooperation to harmonise rules in individual countries for licensing this technology, so that the process can be faster in the future. The company also wants to identify areas of interest to regulators in order to prepare properly for the process.

A solution for carbon neutrality?

EDF presents its Nuward small modular reactor project as one of the possible tools for achieving carbon neutrality. The Nuward plant is to comprise two light-water pressurised reactors with a total capacity of 340 MWe.

“EDF is pleased to put forward its Nuward reactor as a test case for an SMR assessment that heralds cooperation among European regulators. I thank the French nuclear safety authority ASN and its European counterparts, STUK and SUJB, for their approach. I reaffirm EDF’s commitment to contributing to accelerating the deployment of SMRs worldwide and to playing a key role in achieving the carbon neutrality target by 2050,” said Xavier Ursat, EDF Group executive director responsible for engineering and new nuclear projects.

EDF presented the Nuward project in 2019, stating that it wanted to have the final design ready in 2023. The conceptual phase was then expected to continue until 2030, followed by construction of a demonstration unit.