Alongside the Environment Agency (EA), the ONR confirmed that the UK Hualong Pressurised Water Reactor (UK HPR1000) is suitable for construction, subject to the necessary licensing, planning permission and environmental permits.
The design has been proposed by General Nuclear Services (GNS), which is a subsidiary of China General Nuclear (CGN) and the French state-owned EDF.
CGN is currently also working on the UK’s other major nuclear project, Hinkley Point C, which is being built in Somerset. It first proposed the new Bradwell plant following approval from the UK Government of Hinkley Point C in 2016.
The ONR and the EA said they were satisfied that the new reactor design meets regulatory expectations on safety, security and environmental protection at this stage of the process.
The regulators typically assess the acceptability of new nuclear power station designs in a process called generic design assessment. This helps ensure that any new nuclear...