Licensing Process to Support Multiple SMR Deployments in the United Kingdom

Westinghouse Electric Company announced today it has formally submitted an application to the U.K. Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) for approval to enter the General Design Assessment (GDA) of the AP300™ Small Modular Reactor (SMR). This is the first step in the formal licensing process within the U.K.

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The Westinghouse AP300 SMR is the only SMR based on proven, deployed nuclear technology. (Photo: Business Wire)

The AP300 SMR design utilizes Westinghouse’s proven Gen III+ advanced technology, which has regulatory approval in Great Britain, the U.S. and China, as well as compliance with European Utility Requirements (EUR) standards for nuclear power plants. This brings licensing advantages and substantially reduces delivery risk for customers in the utility, oil & gas and industrial space.

This GDA application comes after the AP300 SMR was selected for the next phase of Great British Nuclear and selected by Community Nuclear Power, Ltd. (CNP) to build four AP300 SMRs in Northeast England. These projects will also leverage Westinghouse’s 75-year history of nuclear manufacturing operations in the UK at its facility in Springfields, Lancashire.

“The AP300 SMR builds on the pedigree of the already approved AP1000, and we are very optimistic that the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero will approve our GDA application. The U.K. regulators are already very familiar with the AP300 SMR’s underpinning technology, so we look forward to working with them to progress the timely development and deployment of this advanced, proven technology in the U.K.,” said David Durham, Westinghouse Energy Systems President.

The AP300 small modular reactor is the only SMR based on an advanced, large Generation III+ reactor already in operation globally – Westinghouse’s proven AP1000^® technology, which is licensed in the U.K. Unlike every other SMR under development with first-of-a-kind technologies and risks, Westinghouse’s AP300 SMR utilizes the AP1000 engineering, components and supply chain, enabling streamlined licensing and leveraging available technical skills. Together, these factors provide confidence that the first operating unit will be available in the early 2030s. The advantageous economics of the AP300 SMR are based on robust analysis and existing project costs from AP1000 reactors already in operation or development on three continents. The AP300 SMR is under consideration by customers in the U.K., Europe, and North America.

Westinghouse Electric Company is shaping the future of carbon-free energy by providing safe, innovative nuclear and other clean power technologies and services globally. Westinghouse supplied the world’s first commercial pressurized water reactor in 1957 and the company’s technology is the basis for nearly one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants. Over 135 years of innovation makes Westinghouse the preferred partner for advanced technologies covering the complete nuclear energy life cycle. For more information, visit www.westinghousenuclear.com and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and X.

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