Authorisation progresses on Chinese HPR1000 reactor design for UK

The HPR1000 is a pressurised water reactor (PWR) built and operated by the China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN). A joint venture between EDF and CGN, General Nuclear Services (GNS), is planning to build power stations based on these reactors in the UK, as part of the agreement by which China is co-funding the Hinkley Point C power station in Somerset.

All reactor designs in the UK are subject to a generic design assessment (GDA) by the ONR and the Environment Agency, by which regulators assess the safety, security and environmental aspects of the reactor design before the aspects of the design specific to the site are put in place. Phase one of this process, which began in January and is now complete, looks at the project management and technical provisions of the design. Phase 2, which will take a year, is a fuller technical assessment. The full GDA process takes five years, and is expected to be completed in 2021.