Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor design moves to next regulatory stage

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Daniel Face

CGI of Rolls Royce's small modular reactor

Rolls-Royce’s UKRI-funded Small Modular Reactor (SMR) has progressed to Step 2 of the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) conducted by the UK’s independent nuclear regulators.

This puts the company’s own SMR significantly ahead of other designs in securing consent to operate in the UK. Its ‘factory-built’ power plant generates 470MW of low-carbon electricity, which could power a million homes for at least 60 years.

Safety & Regulatory Affairs Director, Helena Perry, said: “This is a huge stride forward for our project and, through the independent scrutiny of our regulators, further increases confidence in the viability of the Rolls-Royce SMR design.

“Rolls-Royce SMR has unmatched experience in GDA, international licensing and permitting. We are using all the knowledge and learning from our uniquely skilled team to move at pace through the GDA process – bringing us closer to our vision of providing clean, affordable energy for all and providing a British solution to a global energy crisis.”

Step 2 involves detailed technical assessment by the Office for Nuclear Regulation, Environment Agency, and Natural Resources. It represents a fundamental assessment stage of the GDA, and will be crucial to the eventual rollout of the SMR.

Rolls-Royce has also launched a website which will host key documents and comments or feedback from the public.

Daniel Face

Born and raised in Berkshire, Dan fell into journalism after completing his bachelor’s degree in English at UCL. Writing for The Business Magazine and local Biz News sites has given him the opportunity to chat with all manner of small business owners and share their success stories with a wider audience. Outside of work, Dan enjoys live music, board games and quiz shows, and is making a slow but persistent effort to learn Spanish.