The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency have completed their initial high level assessment of the reactor design and have not identified any “fundamental safety, security, or environmental issues that would mean that the UK ABWR is unacceptable for use in the UK”.
The ONR has highlighted design modifications that will be required to enhance safety, which is stated was a “significant success so early in the process”.
Ken Sato, general manager, licensing at Hitachi Europe for Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, said: “Progression to step three shows the significant and sustained progress we have made.”
The Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process on the reactor, which is set to be used at Horizon Nuclear Power sites at Wylfa and Oldbury-on-Severn, can now enter its next, more detailed stage.
The regulators are targeting completing the GDA of the UK ABWR in December 2017.