Westinghouse agrees to supply small reactors for privately financed project in Britain

Westinghouse has signed an agreement with Community Nuclear Power. The aim of the partnership is to deploy the United Kingdom’s first fleet of privately financed small modular reactors. Westinghouse plans to deploy four AP300 small reactors, based on its conventional AP1000 reactors. Construction of the project is expected to begin after 2027, with operations due to start in the early 2030s.

The US company Westinghouse announced that it had signed an agreement with Community Nuclear Power Limited (CNP) to build four AP300 small modular reactors in the North Teesside region of northeast England. CNP aims to generate electricity within ten years, relying on private financing. This makes the project unique in Europe.

“This project combines Westinghouse’s proven technology and established supply chain with our expertise in nuclear energy. We are delighted to be working with Westinghouse to deploy the technology in North Teesside,” said Paul Foster, chief executive of Community Nuclear Power.

The North Teesside region is undergoing significant industrial and economic development, accompanied by growing demand for low-emission electricity. CNP plans to have a fully licensed site for the project by 2027.

“We would like to thank Community Nuclear Power for this tremendous opportunity to bring our advanced and proven AP300 SMR technology to the UK market,” said David Durham, president of Westinghouse.

Westinghouse is also counting on the project being aligned with the recently published consultation on alternative routes to market for new nuclear projects in the country. The UK government plans to increase installed nuclear capacity to 24 GW by 2050. A fleet of modular reactors is also a key part of this strategy.

New AP300 modular reactor

Westinghouse unveiled its AP300 small modular reactor in May last year. It is a single-loop pressurised water reactor based on AP1000 technology.  The company aims to obtain design certification by 2027.

Construction of the first unit is due to begin in 2030, with operations planned for 2033. The manufacturer gives the 300 MW unit a service life of 80 years. Its cost is expected to be around $1 billion (approximately CZK 23.4 billion).

“Our AP300 SMR is ideally suited not only to generating electricity for the grid, but also to serving industrial sites with clean and reliable energy, producing hydrogen and e-fuels, desalinating water and providing district heating,” Durham added.