Rolls-Royce’s Small Nuclear Reactor Has Won Its Second Approval

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), Natural Resources Wales, and the Environment Agency have all confirmed that Rolls-Royce’s design for a 470 megawatt electric (MWe) Small Modular Reactor (SMR) has passed the second phase of the Generic Design Assessment (GDA). (NRW).

With the announcement of this milestone on Tuesday, the reactor moves forward into the third phase of the GDA, a crucial regulatory process intended to guarantee that new nuclear plants adhere to stringent standards for waste management, safety, security, and the environment.

The GDA process allows companies like Rolls-Royce SMR to mitigate project risks and gain regulatory confidence in their designs before presenting site-specific proposals. The second stage of this assessment, which began in April 2023, is the first substantive technical evaluation step of the GDA, focusing on detailed design and project scope. The successful completion of this stage is significant as it is the first time a project design has cleared step two since the GDA process was introduced.

According to Saffron Price-Finnerty, the Environment Agency’s New Reactors Program Manager, the completion of Step 2 involved extensive collaboration and hard work from all parties. The assessment has not identified any major concerns, and Rolls-Royce SMR has demonstrated a strong commitment to environmental protection and radioactive waste management. The third stage will involve a more detailed assessment of the project and include consultations with the public and stakeholders regarding the design’s acceptability.

The UK government is backing nuclear power expansion to achieve its goal of 24 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2050, meeting a quarter of the country’s electricity needs. This push includes a $382.79 million (300 million GBP) investment announced in January 2024 for the domestic production of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to fuel smaller reactors.

Rolls-Royce’s Small Modular Reactor (SMR) is being promoted as an affordable and environmentally friendly energy option that utilizes existing technology to produce factory-assembled nuclear power plants. This model is created to be completely scalable, with intentions to increase production by establishing more factories in response to rising demand.

Even with possible shifts in government, the UK’s dedication to developing small modular reactor technology is unwavering, with several initiatives in progress to enhance the country’s nuclear energy capacity.