Rolls-Royce closer to going nuclear as reactor plans pass first test

Derby-based Rolls-Royce SMR’s nuclear reactor plans are a step closer to being actualised after the ONR, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales gave the green light for the project to progress to the next phase of assessment.

Rolls-Royce SMR was established in November 2021 to bring a factory-built Small Modular Reactor (SMR) to market, capable of generating 470MW of low-carbon electricity for at least 60 years.

The ambitious plans have now passed the first stage of the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process that began in April 2022. The safety, security and environmental aspects of new reactor designs must be approved by regulators before site-specific proposals can be brought forward.

Rolls has fulfilled all of the requirements it needs to progress to Step 2 of the assessment, which is expected to last for 16 months. The firm has launched a comments process on its new website to gather feedback on the plans.

Andrew Pynn, the Environment Agency’s strategy and policy lead for the Rolls-Royce SMR GDA, said: “We’re assessing the environmental acceptability of a new reactor design from Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd. Our team of specialist assessors will identify any issues or concerns we have with the design and will work with the company to make sure it understands our expectations to ensure the protection of communities and the environment.

“GDA is an enabling and efficient approach, helping to ensure that new nuclear power stations will meet high standards of safety, security, environmental protection and waste management.

“During Step 1 we’ve studied the company’s arrangements, plans and readiness for Step 2 and learnt more about the reactor design. In our Step 1 statement we’ve summarised what we have looked at and concluded that we can progress to Step 2 of GDA where we will begin our fundamental assessment.

“Public and stakeholder engagement is important to us. We’re encouraging people to get involved in the comments process, which begins today, by reviewing the information on the company’s website and providing your comments which are viewed by the regulators.”

“We’ll be engaging continually with stakeholders and public and we will carry out a consultation as we step through the regulatory process”, Pynn added.

Rob Exley, head of Generic Design Assessment at the ONR, said: “The purpose of GDA is to determine whether the design meets our robust safety, security, safeguards and environmental protection standards in Great Britain.

“We are working together with the Environment Agency and NRW to ensure Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd understand and meet our regulatory expectations for its proposed reactor design.

“As nuclear regulators, we recognise that we are acting in the interests of the public and, as such, this period of scrutiny will be open, transparent and provide regular opportunities for meaningful engagement with interested parties throughout the GDA process.

“ONR is satisfied that Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd has adequate arrangements to support GDA. We have agreed an appropriate scope for GDA, for which the company has provided an appropriate submission schedule and a resourced organisation to deliver it.

“As regulators, we can now begin our technical assessment phase.”