Mini nuclear power stations plan moves to final stage

Rolls-Royce is celebrating after successfully completing the latest stage of assessment of its designs for mini nuclear power stations in the UK.

Rolls-Royce SMR has revealed it has completed ‘Step 2’ of the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) by the UK nuclear industry’s independent regulators – the Office for Nuclear Regulation, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales.

It will now move immediately into the third and final step.

The GDA process assesses new nuclear power plant designs for deployment in the UK, demonstrating they can be built, operated and decommissioned in accordance with the highest standards of safety, security, safeguards and environmental protection.

The latest announcement confirms Rolls-Royce SMR’s position ahead of any other Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology in Europe.

Helena Perry, Rolls-Royce SMR’s safety and regulatory affairs director, said: “The completion of Step 2 of the GDA is the most important milestone to date in advancing deployment of Rolls-Royce SMRs in the UK.

“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 UK transition to net zero.”

Unlike conventional nuclear reactors that are built on site, SMRs are smaller, can be made in factories, and could transform how power stations are built by making construction faster and less expensive.

Rolls-Royce SMR claims its nuclear power plant design can provide enough affordable clean electricity to power a million homes for more than 60 years, helping achieve net zero targets.