Guidance - assessment of new nuclear power stations

Generic design assessment

The Nuclear Regulators have published guidance material on the Generic Design Assessment process for new nuclear power stations. These documents are aimed primarily at organisations intending to submit their reactor designs for assessment, but may also be helpful to other parties interested in the process.

• Guidance on The Management of Generic Design Assessment (GDA) Outcomes
  This guidance sets out the outcomes that can be expected in June 2011, when we complete our assessment of the safety case of the designs. It simplifies and makes clear what these outcomes mean and how any outstanding GDA Issues will be managed.
• Paper on the required level of design of waste plants for new build reactors in the Generic Design Assessment
  This paper clarifies the minimum position for GDA on the design of the fuel pond within the reactor building and the intermediate level waste (ILW) processing facilities. A separate paper will be developed for phase 2.
• Guide to regulatory processes for Generic Design Assessment of New Nuclear Power Stations
  Guidance on the overall assessment process issued jointly by HSE and the Environment Agency. Version 2, issued in August 2008.
• Nuclear Power Station Generic Design Assessment - Guidance to Requesting Parties (version 3)
  Guidance from HSE's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate on how it will assess the safety of new nuclear power station designs. Version 3, issued in August 2008.
• Process and Information Document for Generic Assessment of Candidate Nuclear Power Plants
  Guidance from the Environment Agency setting out how it will assess environmental issues. Version 1, issued in January 2007.
• OCNS guidance document for generic design assessment activities
  Guidance from HSE's Office of Civil Nuclear Security. Version 1, issued in January 2007.
• OCNS Management of sensitive nuclear information during the generic design assessment of nuclear technologies (Version 2)
  Version 2, issued in February 2008.
• New Nuclear power stations - Safety assessment in an international context
  This report discusses the international context of HSE's assessment of new nuclear power stations and it shows how we take account of this while protecting people and society in the UK.

Licensing

HSE's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate has issued new guidance on the licensing process for new nuclear power stations:

• Applying for a nuclear site licence for new nuclear power stations: A step-by-step guide

  This guide sets out the actions required in preparing for a nuclear site licence. It is aimed primarily at organisations wishing to obtain a licence to construct a nuclear power station (many of which will be new to the UK's nuclear licensing regime), and supplements more general information on the licensing of nuclear installations in the UK.

• Further information on HSE's licensing process for nuclear power stations

Environmental permits

Organisations wishing to construct and operate a new nuclear power station will need a number of environmental permits from the Environment Agency. These are identified in our development guidance:

• Building a better environment, a guide for developers [15MB]

You can find guidance on individual permits on our business and industry web pages:

• Environment Agency