Westinghouse Electric Company today announced its AP300 Small Modular Reactor (SMR) has been downselected for the final phase of Great British Nuclear’s (GBN) competitive SMR technology selection process.
“We are pleased that GBN recognises the advantages of the AP300 SMR design, which is based on an operating reactor that is already licensed in the U.K. With proven technologies and regulator familiarity, the AP300 can get to market quickly, economically and with certainty,” said Patrick Fragman, Westinghouse President and CEO. “We look forward to working with GBN through the final review and selection process.”
Launched in July 2023, GBN supports the U.K. government’s ambition to deliver up to 24GW of nuclear power in the country by 2050 for energy security. GBN’s first priority is conducting a competitive process to select the best SMR technologies from around the world. The AP300 SMR was downselected during the initial round of the competition and was recently approved to enter the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process by the U.K. government.
The AP300 small modular reactor is the only SMR based on an advanced, large Generation III+ reactor already in operation globally – Westinghouse’s proven AP1000 technology, which is licenced in the U.K. Unlike every other SMR under development with first-of-a-kind technologies and risks, Westinghouse’s AP300 SMR uses the AP1000 engineering, components and supply chain, enabling streamlined licencing and leveraging available technical skills. These factors provide confidence that the first operating unit will be available in the early 2030s. The advantageous economics of the AP300 SMR are based on robust analysis and existing project costs from AP1000 reactors already in operation or development on three continents. The AP300 SMR is under consideration by customers in the U.K., Europe and North America.
With a 75-year heritage of nuclear operations and reactor deployment in the U.K., Westinghouse is invested in the success of the nation’s nuclear supply chain and bringing the economic benefits of nuclear construction projects in the U.K. and from around the world to Britain. Westinghouse’s Springfields site is one of the most advanced nuclear fuel manufacturing facilities in the world, employing approximately 1,000 employees to produce fuel for the British reactor fleet and beyond. More than one-third of Westinghouse’s employees at Springfields were trained on-site in its Apprentice Training Centre, which Westinghouse has used to recruit nearly 2,000 apprentices from the local community.
