Holtec International’s SMR-300 reactor design has successfully completed Step 1 of the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process in the UK.
The GDA is conducted by the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) to ensure new nuclear power stations meet high standards of safety, security, environmental protection and waste management.
The GDA process allows the UK’s nuclear regulators to evaluate new nuclear power station designs early in the regulatory process.
This early assessment helps identify potential design issues, allowing the reactor design company to address them and avoid costly changes during construction.
Holtec International submitted the SMR-160 small modular reactor design in January 2023.
After a design change, the reactor was renamed the SMR-300 in January 2024.
The assessment process for the SMR-300 began on 18th October 2023, following approval from the government.
Holtec Britain Limited, a subsidiary of Holtec International, is managing the GDA process in the UK.
The company specialises in nuclear power station design, engineering and manufacturing.
The SMR-300, designed in the US, is a pressurised water reactor capable of generating 300 megawatts of electricity, enough to power around 300,000 homes.
Having completed Step 1 of the GDA, the assessment will now move to Step 2, known as the ‘fundamental assessment.’
Dr Rick Springman, Holtec’s President of Global Clean Energy Opportunities, said: “We are confident of our capability to deliver SMR-300 plants in numbers needed by the country.
“It helps that our SMR-300 plant is premised on the PWR technology with which Great Britain is well versed in its civilian as well as naval nuclear programme.”
Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, said: “It’s very welcome news to see Holtec’s SMR-300 design proceed to the next step of the Generic Design Assessment.
“We want Britain to be a competitive place to deploy SMRs, and to do that it is essential that we have streamlined regulatory processes to get on with deployment.
“If we can get designs approved swiftly and get fleets ordered, we can unlock huge economic opportunities for British industry. We look forward to seeing further evidence of improvements in the regulatory process as the Holtec design continues its progress.”
