Westinghouse and Amentum expand cooperation on AP1000 and AP300 reactors offered in Czech market

Westinghouse has concluded a series of agreements with engineering company Amentum aimed at strengthening capacity for the construction of a larger number of AP1000 units while supporting the development of the AP300 small modular reactor. The latest part of the cooperation focuses primarily on preparing its certification in the United States.

The agreements are to expand the two companies’ cooperation in two key areas. Amentum is to strengthen Westinghouse’s engineering and delivery capacity for the preparation and construction of multiple AP1000 units, while for the AP300 small modular reactor it is to contribute to preparing documentation for its certification by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

The AP300 is currently in pre-application discussions with the NRC, which precede the submission of an application for standard design certification under 10 CFR Part 52. The announcement does not state the financial value of the agreements or the specific scale of staffing involvement.

Shared AP1000 and AP300 technology platform

Westinghouse uses the APX designation to cover the shared technology and delivery platform for the AP1000 and AP300 reactors. Within this platform, the AP300 is to use design solutions, components, licensing approaches, fuel design and a supply chain based on the AP1000.

The AP1000 is a two-loop pressurised water reactor with a thermal capacity of 3415 MWt and a nominal net electrical output of 1110 MWe. Westinghouse currently lists four operating units of this technology in China and two at the US Vogtle plant. The AP300 is expected, according to current technical data, to achieve an electrical output of 330 MWe and a thermal capacity of 990 MWt. It is a single-loop pressurised water reactor based on AP1000 technology, including its passive safety system concept.

AP300 is in the NRC pre-application phase

Westinghouse is already holding pre-application discussions with the US nuclear regulator, the NRC, regarding a future application for AP300 standard design certification. These cover, among other things, the methodology for safety analyses and other technical documentation. According to the latest August announcement, Amentum is also to participate in further certification preparations. Westinghouse describes obtaining NRC approval as a significant step towards bringing the AP300 to market.

When introducing the AP300 in 2023, Westinghouse anticipated obtaining US design certification in 2027 and starting construction by 2030. However, the current announcement does not specify a date for obtaining certification, so the originally stated year of 2027 cannot be regarded as a confirmed current schedule.

Amentum to expand engineering capacity

According to both companies, Amentum is to provide in particular additional engineering capacity and experience from nuclear projects. The firms have already worked together on nuclear facility construction and decommissioning projects in the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania and South Africa. The new agreements are to expand this cooperation to support repeat construction of standardised AP1000 units and preparation of the AP300 project.

The expansion of delivery capacity comes as Westinghouse prepares several AP1000 projects. In Europe, preparations for Poland’s first nuclear power plant at Lubiatowo-Kopalino are the most advanced; it is to include three AP1000 units. This year, investor Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe submitted an application to the head of Poland’s nuclear regulator, the PAA, for a permit to construct a nuclear facility. It is working with the Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium on the project’s preparation and delivery.

Westinghouse is also significant for the Czech energy sector.It currently supplies nuclear fuel for the Temelín and Dukovany power plants as part of supplier diversification.AP1000 technology was also offered in the Czech nuclear tender, and the company held licensing discussions with South Korea’s KHNP, which was selected for the Dukovany expansion. Progress in certifying the AP300 small reactor could therefore be significant in connection with ČEZ’s plans to develop small modular reactors in the Czech Republic, although ČEZ selected Rolls-Royce SMR as the supplier of its first modular reactor.