Environment Agency
The Environment Agency, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and Natural Resources Wales (the regulators) have an assessment process which enables them to scrutinise new nuclear power station designs before they are built in the UK. This process is called Generic Design Assessment (GDA).
Step 1 of theRolls-Royce SMR GDAformally began on 3 April 2022. The regulators completed Step 1 of theGDAand issued their Step 1 statement of findingson the Rolls-RoyceSMRdesign.
Step 2 of the GDA began on 3 April 2023. The regulators completed Step 2 of the GDA and issued their Step 2 statements and assessment reports on the Rolls-Royce SMR design. The Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales statement is published here, along with the assessment report and a public summary of the report. A Welsh version of the report is published on the Natural Resources Wales website. ONRs reports are published on thejointGDAwebpages.
Any nuclear power station design company going throughGDAis required to set up a public comments process. You can make a comment or ask a question and the design company will respond to you. Make a comment on theRolls RoyceSMRwebsite.
TheGDAprocess is described in theGDAguidance for Requesting Parties.
After Rolls-Royce SMR Limited began its GDA, the regulators carried out a minor update to this guidance but agreed that Rolls-Royce SMR Limited would continue to conduct its GDA against the 2019 version which was the version in effect at the time.
For any questions about these reports, email:nuclear@environment-agency.gov.uk.