Westinghouse SMRs set for Teesside rollout in ‘early 2030s’

The contract will see the deployment of four Westinghouse AP300 SMRs in the North Teesside region. Based on the US company’s AP1000 pressurised light water technology, each AP300 reactor will be capable of delivering 300MWe. According to Westinghouse, close alignment with the AP1000 means the SMR will rely on the larger reactor’s existing engineering, components and supply chain, helping to fast-track the AP300's deployment.

“We want to thank Community Nuclear Power for this tremendous opportunity to deliver our advanced, proven AP300 SMR technology to the UK market,” said David Durham, Westinghouse president, Energy Systems.

“Our AP300 SMR is ideally suited not just to support grid generation, but also for industrial sites for generating clean and secure energy and the ability to produce hydrogen, e-fuels, desalination and district heating.”

Incorporated in 2022, CNP bills itself as the UK’s only independent Small Modular Reactor (SMR) development company. The Cumbria-based firm is working with partners including Jacobs to secure a license for the Teesside site as early as 2027. According to CNP and Westinghouse, commercial operation of the Teesside SMR fleet should be underway by the ‘early 2030s’.