Westinghouse’s AP300 small modular reactor has been approved to enter the UK’s generic design assessment (GDA) process.
The formal approval from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is a necessary first step for the AP300 to be deployed in the UK. The AP300 is the only SMR being considered for UK development which is based on an existing gigawatt-scale Generation III+ reactor, Westinghouse’s AP1000.
“The UK’s familiarity with the AP300’s underpinning technology and our strong track record of licencing success in the UK and globally give us confidence that we will move through the GDA process at pace,” said Dan Lipman, president of Westinghouse Energy Systems.
In February, Westinghouse announced an agreement with Community Nuclear Power to build four AP300s in North Teesside, with a target of commercial operation in the early 2030s. Westinghouse held its first UK suppliers symposium focused on the AP300 and AP1000 programmes the same month, in partnership with the Nuclear AMRC.
The GDA process is led by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and Environment Agency, and is intended to support the construction of a number of new nuclear power stations by approving a standard reactor design which can be built in different locations by different developers. Each build will still require a site-specific licence.
Westinghouse’s AP300 is one of five SMR designs being considered by Great British Nuclear for support. Three other designs have already begun the three-step GDA process: Rolls-Royce SMR completed the second step in July 2024; Holtec’s SMR-300 completed the first step in August; and GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300 entered GDA in January.
Westinghouse’s AP1000 completed GDA in 2017, but has not yet been deployed in the UK.
