GVH says momentum around plant continuing to build globally
The GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) has completed Step 2 of the generic design assessment (GDA) process in the UK.
The BWRX-300 completed Step 1 of the GDA process in December 2024 and GVH has now received formal notification about completion of Step 2.
The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), the Environment Agency (EA) and Natural Resources Wales use the GDA process to ensure that new reactor designs meet safety, security and environmental protection standards.
The ONR and EA said their Step 2 assessment has not identified any fundamental safety, security safeguard or environmental protection shortfalls with the design of the BWRX-300.
The first BWRX-300 SMR is under construction at utility Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) Darlington nuclear site in Canada, with completion expected by the end of the decade. That would make it the first SMR in the Western World.
Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE), which is working to deploy the BWRX-300 in Poland and Eastern Europe, coinvested in the GDA for the BWRX-300 as part of a project to benefit from regulatory lessons learned.
GVH said momentum around the BWRX-300 is continuing to build globally. Four units are planned for the Darlington site and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted and is reviewing Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) application to construct the first BWRX-300 in the US at the utility’s Clinch River site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
OPG, TVA, Duke Energy and Synthos Green Energy in Poland are investing in the standard design of the BWRX-300.
The BWRX-300 is a 300-MW simplified, next-generation boiling water reactor. It relies on established BWR technology but incorporates significant design simplifications. It uses existing fuel and could potentially power up to 300,000 homes or provide process heat for industry.
