Four reactors planned for northeast England with commercial operation in early 2030s
Westinghouse Electric Company has signed an agreement with Community Nuclear Power (CNP) that could lead to the deployment of the UK’s first privately financed small modular reactor (SMR) fleet using Westinghouse’s AP300 reactor technology.
Commercial operation is expected by the early 2030s, the companies said.
Westinghouse said the agreement puts it on track to deploy the UK’s first privately-financed SMR fleet and is a significant step in making this new energy sector a reality.
The company said on social media it had d also “secured an agreement” for the site. “This means the component parts and agreements needed to make this ground-breaking proposition happen – land, capability, technology, private capital funding, and community demand – are in place,” it said.
The agreement is to build four AP300 SMRs in the North Teesside region of northeast England. The region is experiencing industrial and economic development, which the companies say is driving increasing demand for carbon-free electricity.
CNP, which says it is the UK’s only independent SMR development company, is also working with partners, including Jacobs and Interpath Advisory, to develop a fully licensed site for the project, with a target of 2027.
If completed, the project could become the first SMR deployment in the UK. It could also mark Westinghouse’s first deployment of the AP300, an SMR model it launched in May 2023. In addition, the project is “the first privately funded project deploying SMRs anywhere in Europe”, CNP noted. “And our goal is to be generating clean energy within 10 years’ time.”
‘Proven Technology And Mature Supply Chain’
Westinghouse said the project is in accordance with the UK government’s consultation on new nuclear projects and complementary to the company’s participation in Great British Nuclear’s (GBN) SMR technology selection process. In October the AP300 was selected for the next phase of that process along with five other technologies.
“This project brings together Westinghouse’s proven technology and mature supply chain with our depth of expertise in nuclear program delivery, in a region that is transforming its industrial landscape,” said Paul Foster, Community Nuclear Power’s chief executive officer. “We are delighted to be working with Westinghouse in support of private deployment in North Teesside.”
The AP300 SMR is based on Westinghouse’s existing AP1000 large-scale unit. There are four AP1000 units in commercial operation in China and one, Vogtle-3, in the US. A second Vogtle unit is approaching operation.
The company said that 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. The AP300 is the only SMR based on a licensed, operating nuclear reactor, Westinghouse said.
