The Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency have completed their initial assessment of the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) for the two proposed new reactor designs, AREVA and EDF’s UK EPR and the Westinghouse Electric Company’s AP1000.

For both designs, the ONR and the EA say some issues remain, which they are confident that industry can resolve. The plans relating to Fukushima should be available in the Autumn, after the Chief Inspector’s lessons learnt report is published.

Kevin Allars, Director of Nuclear New Build said: “This is a key milestone in the generic design assessment, but it is not the end of the process. Industry will need to resolve to our satisfaction all of the outstanding issues before we will consider granting permission for any new reactor of that design to be built.”

Mr Allars said it was a major milestone in the process of generic design assessment, but that the decision was not the end of the process.

He said: “Industry will need to resolve to the regulators’ satisfaction all of the outstanding issues before the regulators can consider the generic design assessment process to have been completed, and, importantly, before they will consider granting permission for any new reactor of that design to be built.