The Generic Design Assessment (GDA) for the UK HPR1000, the reactor technology proposed for Bradwell B, was successfully completed today, with the issuing of a Design Acceptance Confirmation (DAC) from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and a Statement of Design Acceptability (SoDA) from the Environment Agency.
This marks the end of a five-year process where the nuclear regulators have provided independent scrutiny of the proposed nuclear technology to ensure it meets the UK’s standards of safety, security, and environmental protection. The DAC and SoDA are confirmation that the UK HPR1000 is acceptable for use in the UK.
China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) and EDF submitted a joint application through their joint venture company GNSL (General Nuclear System Limited) to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy in October 2016 to begin the GDA process for a UK version of the HPR1000. The application was accepted in January 2017, marking the start of the four-step GDA process.
At each step, documents with increasingly technical detail were submitted to the regulators for review. Key technical documents were also made available to the public and comments were accepted as part of the GDA process.
The final versions of the Pre-Construction Safety Report (PCSR), Pre-Construction Environment Report and Generic Security Report are now available to view https://www.ukhpr1000.co.uk/documents-library/final-submissions/ . These documents demonstrate that the design of the UK HPR1000 is suitable for its intended construction, commissioning, operation and ultimate decommissioning, on a generic site in the United Kingdom.
The HPR1000 technology is a third generation pressurised water reactor (PWR) that has been developed by CGN, a company with over 40 years’ experience of designing, constructing and operating nuclear power stations. Its adaptation to the UK context (UK HPR1000) has been jointly performed by CGN and EDF in the frame of the GDA process. The UK HPR1000 will join a global fleet of HPR1000 nuclear plants, six units of which are already well advanced in their construction in China.
To find out more about the GDA or view final versions of the Pre-Construction Safety, Environmental and Security Reports, visit the UK HPR1000 website www.ukhpr1000.co.uk.
Source: Bradwell B