Rolls-Royce SMR earns second U.K. assessment

The small modular reactor design from Rolls-Royce has cleared step two of the United Kingdom's generic design assessment (GDA) and is moving to the third and final step.

The company announced its progress and lauded "Rolls-Royce SMR's position ahead of any other SMR in Europe" in a July 30 press release. Rolls-Royce SMR touts its ability to deliver new nuclear power based on proven technology, providing a "factory-built" power station to provide enough energy for a million homes for a 60-year stretch.

Britain in 2023 opened a competition-managed by Great British Nuclear-to help develop advanced nuclear technology with the aim of deploying projects in the 2030s. The goal is to ramp up the nation's nuclear capacity to as much as 24 GW by 2050.

Quotable: "We have built fantastic momentum, and the team will move directly into step 3 of this rigorous independent assessment of our technology-ideally positioning us to deliver low-carbon nuclear power and support the U.K. transition to net zero," said Helena Perry, director of Rolls-Royce SMR's safety and regulatory affairs.

The process: U.K. nuclear regulators-the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the Environment Agency, and Natural Resources Wales (NRW)-announced last year the completion of step one of their GDA for Rolls-Royce SMR's 470-MWe small modular reactor design and the start of step two.

A GDA is a three-step process-initiation, fundamental assessment, and detailed assessment-performed to gauge the safety, security, and environmental protection aspects of a nuclear plant design. ONR examines the safety and security of the technology, while the other regulatory bodies focus on the environment and radioactive waste.

The GDA hopes to culminate in a design acceptance confirmation from ONR and a statement of design acceptability from the Environment Agency.

If successful, Rolls-Royce promises to create and sustain thousands of high-skilled, long-term jobs and enable a significant amount of export potential for the U.K., according to the company.