Monday 12 December 2016
Consultation on new nuclear power station design
A consultation on a new nuclear power station design from Hitachi and GE has been launched.
The Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and the Office for Nuclear Regulation are working together to assess the acceptability of the design under a process called Generic Design Assessment (GDA).
The process helps ensure any new nuclear power stations built in the UK meet high standards of safety, security, environmental protection and waste management.
It also enables developers to avoid potential cost and time delays during construction arising from late identification of modifications to meet the nation’s requirements.
This consultation looks at Hitachi-GE’s UK Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (UK ABWR) design which the firms submitted in April 2014.
Horizon Nuclear Power proposes to build and operate this design at Wylfa Newydd on the Isle of Anglesey and Oldbury in South Gloucestershire.
Saffron Price Walter, GDA manager at the Environment Agency said: “It is our job to ensure that any new nuclear power station will meet high standards of environmental protection and waste management.
“This consultation sets out our findings so far and identifies where we require further work to be carried out by Hitachi-GE. After consultation we’ll carefully consider all the consultation responses we receive, complete our detailed assessment and make our decision about the acceptability of the UK ABWR design.”
The consultation will run until 3rd March 2017.
Earlier this year, the UK finalised the deal for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station with French utility EDF and China's CGN.
