The GDA process was developed by the UK’s principal nuclear regulators, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency (EA) as a means to scrutinise new nuclear power plant designs and assess their acceptability for use in the UK. The initiation of a GDA process by the regulators must be requested by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) following a successful application by a requesting party.
Newcleo aims to complete a two-step GDA with the ONR and EA, including an assessment of its technology by the regulators. Subject to acceptance by DESNZ, the GDA will take around two years starting in Spring 2025.
This step follows the application to the UK authorities for a Regulatory Justification Decision on Newcleo’s LFR-AS-200 in April this year - the first such application for a new reactor for almost a decade and the first ever for an Advanced Modular Reactor.
Stefano Buono (pictured), CEO of Newcleo said: “Thanks to our growth as a global team, our Lead-cooled Fast Reactor design has reached new levels of maturity, as has our confidence in the continued development and refinement of our technologies. New nuclear technologies have an immense potential to play a significant role in the decarbonisation of the UK’s energy mix as well its energy security, and we are excited to demonstrate what Newcleo can bring to this challenge.”
Andrew Murdoch, managing director UK said: “We have submitted the application after significant growth of our UK team across our three UK offices and following our submission for a Regulatory Justification Decision – the first submission of its kind for an Advanced Modular Reactor design.”
Stéphane Calpena, global licensing & nuclear safety director of Newcleo Group said: “This GDA submission in the UK follows 18 months of intensive technical discussions with the French regulator and international experts about Newcleo LFR design, the MOX manufacturing plant design along with their related safety options. These moves in the UK and France reflects our continued commitment to deployment in France, in the UK as well as our interest in sharing our technology and its advantages elsewhere across Europe.”