Nuclear power station plans pass first stage

The first stage of 'Generic Design Assessment' (GDA) conducted on four designs submitted for new nuclear power stations has found no health and safety shortcomings.

Nuclear regulators, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency (EA), said that, in terms of safety, security or the environment, there was nothing found that would prevent them from being built.

Dr. Mike Weightman, head of HSE's Nuclear Directorate, and HM chief inspector of Nuclear Installations, said: "As new nuclear power stations are being considered for the UK, it is vital for regulators to get involved with potential designs at the earliest stage."

He added that the GDA process has set out new standards in openness and transparency by creating a process of public involvement whereby the public can view designs on the web and comment on them.

The four designs subject to the initial assessment were the AECL's ACR 1000, the EdF/Areva's EPR, the General Electric-Hitachi's ESBWR and Westinghouse's AP1000.

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