EDF subsidiary says construction could begin in 2030
French small modular reactor developer Nuward has submitted the safety options file to the French nuclear regulator ASN, marking the start of the pre-licensing process for the plant.
The file was submitted by state power company EDF, which will operate the first Nuward plant in France. Nuward is an EDF subsidiary dedicated to development of the Nuward SMR.
The file details the safety objectives, the design features, and the main principles for operation and risk management for the Nuward SMR.
Nuward said it allows for early feedback from ASN before any application is submitted to start building a plant in France.
“It is an essential step to prepare and secure the licensing process for the first Nuward SMR plant in France, for which construction is aimed to start in 2030,” a statement by EDF said.
Nuward executive president Renaud Crassous building a Nuward reference plant in France will prove its performance and competitiveness. In parallel, Nuward is advancing its international deployment strategy, Crassous said.
The company’s efforts include talks with several European nuclear safety authorities to conduct a joint early review of the Nuward design, led by ASN.
EDF said the technology could replace high CO2-emitting coal, fuel, oil and gas plants around the world and support other uses such as hydrogen production, urban and district heating or desalination.
The Nuward SMR uses pressurised water reactor technology. It is 340 MW plant with two reactors of 170 MW each.
Partners in the Nuward project include the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), French industrial group Naval, reactor design and maintenance company TechnicAtome, nuclear company Framatome and Belgium-based engineering group Tractebel.
