Rolls-Royce SMR Progresses to Final Step in Pre-licensing Process in Great Britain

The Rolls-Royce SMR Limited’s 470 MWe small modular reactor design has successfully completed Step 2 of the UK’s Generic Design Assessment process and progressed to the third and final phase. The SMR is one of six SMR designs selected by Great British Nuclear for the UK’s SMR implementation competition.

The GDA first and second steps envisage the agreement of the scope of the GDA and project arrangements. The completion of the first two steps and progression to the final step took place upon completion of the significant work by Rolls-Royce and the regulators, leading to the granting, for the first time since the modernized GDA process was launched, of Step 2 GDA statement.

The overall duration for the Rolls-Royce SMR GDA is expected to be 53 months, completing in August 2026. Also, except for the main processes envisaged by the design, the Nuclear Industry Association applied to the UK government for a justification decision for SMR, a decision required for the operation of a new nuclear technology in the country.

Additional information: Generic Design Assessment is a three-step process carried out by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to assess the safety, security, and environmental protection aspects of a nuclear power plant design that is intended to be deployed in Great Britain. The Generic Design Assessment includes the initiation, fundamental assessment and detailed assessment. Successful completion of the GDA culminates in the issue of a Design Acceptance Confirmation from the ONR and a Statement of Design Acceptability from the EA.