The Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency have signed agreements to enable the start of their assessment of the UK Advanced Boiling Water reactor (ABWR) of Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy.
In January, the Minister of State for Energy asked the regulators to undertake a generic design assessment (GDA) of Hitachi-GE’s Advanced Boiling Water Reactor.
All parties have now signed a formal charging agreement and regulatory nuclear interface protocol.
These documents make clear that all costs for assessing the design will be charged to Hitachi-GE and will ensure formal arrangements for engagement.
The next step is for Hitachi-GE to submit documentation for assessment, which is scheduled to be delivered in autumn 2013.
ONR and the Environment Agency will now begin formal preparatory work with Hitachi-GE about the timescales and resources involved in assessing this new design.
