Westinghouse to Start Licensing AR-300 in the UK

The company has formally submitted an application to the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero for approval to enter the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) for the AP300 small modular reactor. This is the first phase of the licensing process in the UK.

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. Westinghouse is optimistic that the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero will approve the application as the U.K. regulators are already very familiar with the AP300 SMR’s underpinning technology. This will contribute to the timely development and implementation of SMR in the UK.

According to Westinghouse, the AP-300 uses Generation III+ technology, which has been approved by regulators in the UK, US and China, and complies with European standards for nuclear power plants (EUR). This will be an advantage during licensing and reduce supply risks for customers in the utility, oil and gas, and industrial sectors.