Balfour Beatty partner makes progress with reactor design approval

US nuclear energy supplier Holtec has cleared the first round of regulatory approvals for its SMR-300 small modular reactor technology.

Holtec Britain, a subsidiary of Holtec International (USA), has completed the first half of the two-step UK generic design assessment process (GDA) for its SMR-300 in just 10 months, which is faster than any previous GDA assessment.

The GDA process is conducted by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales.

In addition to evaluation of Holtec’s SMR-300 technology, GDA step one also assessed the operational readiness of Holtec Britain. It passed.

Over the past 10 months, Holtec Britain has been building its team at its Bristol offices and signed an alliance with Balfour Beatty, Hyundai E&C, Mitsubishi Electric and Mott MacDonald.

Balfour Beatty will act as main construction partner for Holtec’s SMR-160 pressurised light-water reactors in the UK. [See previous report here.]

Rick Springman, Holtec’s president of global clean energy opportunities, responsible for Holtec Britain, said: “This positive endorsement shows that Holtec Britain is ready to deliver major nuclear programs in the United Kingdom. We have complemented our existing UK team with a brilliant team of UK engineers and international experts from Korea, Japan and the USA and are well on our way to create an operation centre of excellence committed to delivering our SMR-300 program in the UK and globally premised on UK’s incumbent PWR technology.”

Consulting engineer Mott MacDonald claimed credit for the speed of the approval process. Ming Tan, SMR portfolio lead at Mott MacDonald, said: “This is a huge stride forward. One of the reasons for the successful completion of the step one GDA in record time is down to the team’s dedication and meticulous preparation. Mott MacDonald’s significant experience from previous GDAs and understanding of the UK context and regulatory expectation made this possible.”

Step two of the GDA process now begins and is expected to take 14 months.

ONR's head of safety regulation for advanced nuclear technologies Tim Parkes is in charge of the Holtec SMR-300 GDA process. He said: "GDA is a vital part of ensuring new reactor designs meet the high standards of safety, security and environmental protection required in Great Britain.

“Together with the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales, we have seen Holtec demonstrate readiness to move into step two of the assessment where we can begin the technical assessments of the reactor.

“Throughout step one, Holtec has been mobilising its delivery organisation to complete the GDA and we have been agreeing the scope for our assessment in step two. We have improved our understanding of the generic SMR-300 design which will enable us to conduct a meaningful assessment throughout step two.

“Safety and security will always be our overriding priority, but we are committed to regulating in a way that does not impede technological advancements unless it is fully justified that we do so. We will continue to engage with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission about potential collaboration and information exchange on the review and assessment of the SMR-300 design.”

The Environment Agency’s new reactors programme manager Saffron Price-Finnerty added: “During the next step, 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.”