UK ministry to review AP300 modular reactor. It could be operational in the early 2030s

The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) has approved Westinghouse’s small modular reactor (SMR) AP300 design for assessment. The approval process will now continue with a Generic Design Assessment (GDA).

The GDA is a process carried out by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency (EA). The Welsh government agency Natural Resources Wales is also involved where necessary. The purpose of the process is to assess the safety and environmental aspects of the design of a nuclear power plant intended to operate in Great Britain.

Successful completion of the GDA culminates in the issue of a Design Acceptance Confirmation by the ONR and a Statement of Design Acceptability by the EA. In May 2021, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy opened the GDA process to advanced nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors.

AP300 modular reactor

Westinghouse applied to have its AP300 design included in the GDA process in February this year. With DESNZ’s approval, the SMR design will enter the first of the two GDA phases, during which the scope of the assessment will be agreed with regulators based on information provided by Westinghouse. The second phase involves a detailed technical analysis by the regulators.

The pressurised water SMR, with an installed capacity of 300 MWe, is based on Westinghouse’s AP1000 technology, which is already licensed in the UK. AP1000 units have regulatory approval and are operating in China and the US, while the design also meets European requirements for nuclear power plants. Westinghouse says the AP1000 licence offers advantages in licensing the AP300 SMR and significantly reduces risks for customers.

Westinghouse Energy Systems also said that the AP300 uses AP1000 technology, components and supply chain, enabling simplified licensing and the use of available technical expertise. According to Westinghouse, these factors provide confidence that the first unit will be ready for operation in the early 2030s.

Progress in the UK civil nuclear programme

Westinghouse was one of six SMR vendors shortlisted last October to receive support from the UK government. Small modular reactors are part of the national plan to quadruple installed nuclear capacity to 24 GWe by 2050.

The company also announced that it had signed an agreement with Community Nuclear Power Limited to build four AP300 reactors in northeast England. This would be the first privately financed fleet of SMRs in the UK.

Generic design assessments have already been completed in the UK for EDF/Areva’s UK EPR, Westinghouse’s AP1000, Hitachi-GE’s UK ABWR and CGN/EDF/GNI’s UK HPR1000 reactors. GDA assessments are currently under way for the small modular reactor design by Rolls-Royce SMR Limited, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s BWRX-300 SMR and Holtec International’s SMR-300 design.