The UK Nuclear Regulators (the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency) have developed a Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process for new nuclear power stations. This was in response to a request from the Government (following the Energy Review in 2006) and from a number of companies who had asked them to review their designs.
Companies can submit information on their reactor designs to the Nuclear Regulators, and we will assess them in advance of any application to build a Nuclear Power Station at a particular site within the UK. This process involves a rigorous and structured examination of detailed Safety, Security and Environmental aspects of the design, and is likely to take approximately 3.5 years to complete. At the end of our assessment (and at key stages during it) we will issue reports on our findings, confirming whether we judge that Safety, Security and Environmental issues have been adequately considered.
We have published further information on the process; this is set out in our guidance documents.
Generic Design Assessment allows us to get involved with potential designers/operators at the earliest stage - where we as Regulators can have most influence and where lessons can be learned that may be applicable to other submitted designs. However, there is no guarantee that the GDA process will lead to a design being regarded as satisfactory, nor would it guarantee that a site licence would be granted in response to a site specific application based on that design.
The assessment process is being carried out in an open and transparent manner, which allows public involvement. The public will be able to view and comment on design information published by the companies on the web.
The Nuclear Regulators are working closely together to make sure there is an effective joint approach to assessment. A Joint Programme Office has been set up to administer the assessment process on behalf of all the Regulators as a ‘one-stop shop’. This is in line with the Government’s aim of reducing Regulatory burdens on industry.
On 23 May 2007 the Government published its Energy White Paper 'Meeting the Energy Challenge', which covered a range of energy issues including Nuclear Power. At the same time, the Government also published a consultation document 'The Future of Nuclear power', on the Government’s preliminary view that it is in the public interest to give private energy companies the option to invest in Nuclear Power Stations.
In the consultation document, the Government invited applications of nuclear reactor designs from companies who are interested in having their designs assessed through the GDA process. Applicants were asked to provide a letter of endorsement from a credible Nuclear Power operator, stating that the design is a serious contender for deployment by that operator in the UK.
On 5 July 2007, the Government announced that four design companies - AECL, EDF/Areva, GE-Hitachi and Westinghouse, had made valid applications, and in August 2007 the Nuclear Regulators started the first stage in the GDA process for four designs (the EDF/Areva UK EPR, AECL ACR-1000, GE ESBWR, and Westinghouse AP 1000).
On 18 March 2008, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency (EA), announced that the first step of ‘Generic Design Assessment’ (GDA) carried out on four designs submitted for new nuclear power stations had found no safety shortfalls at this stage – in terms of safety, security or the environment - that would prevent any of them from ultimately being constructed on licensed sites in the UK.
On 4 April 2008, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL) announced that the company was withdrawing their ACR 1000 design from the GDA process. Although the design had just successfully completed step 2 of GDA (the initial assessment carried out by HSE and the Environment Agency), the announcement stated that the decision to withdraw will allow the company to focus its marketing and licensing resources on the Canadian market.
The Nuclear Regulators are currently preparing for the next more detailed stage of the GDA process – for the remaining three designs.
Protecting people, the environment, and society
