The UK-based Nuclear Industry Association has applied for a justification decision for European nuclear technology developer newcleo’s lead-cooled fast reactor, the LFR-AS-200 – the first new reactor design submitted for consideration in the country for almost a decade and the first ever for an advanced reactor.

Justification is a regulatory process which requires a government decision before any new class or type of practice involving ionising radiation can be introduced in the UK.

A justification decision is one of the steps needed for the operation of a new nuclear technology in the UK, but it is not a permit or licence that allows a specific project to go ahead. Instead, it is a generic decision based on a high-level evaluation of the potential benefits and detriments of the proposed new nuclear practice as a pre-cursor to future regulatory processes.