The push for cleaner, more reliable energy just cleared a major hurdle in the United Kingdom. Holtec International recently announced that its SMR-300, a small modular reactor, successfully finished “Step 2” of the UK’s Generic Design Assessment.

The assessment was a deep dive by the Office for Nuclear Regulation and environmental agencies into 21 different technical areas. They didn’t find any “fundamental shortfalls” in how the reactor is designed or how it handles safety. This gives Holtec a clear path to start considering construction in the UK, specifically at the Cottam site in Nottinghamshire.

Building Simple and Easy Nuclear Reactors

Small modular reactors are designed to be simpler and easier to build than the massive nuclear plants of the past. Because the UK and the U.S. are working more closely together on these regulations, the progress in Britain helps the projects back in the States, too. Holtec is already working on the Pioneer 1 & 2 project at the Palisades site in Michigan.

The idea is that if a design is proven safe in one country, it should be easier to get it approved in another. Dr. Richard M. Springman, Holtec’s President of Global Clean Energy Opportunities, noted that this success shows the “SMR-300 is a globally deployable design.”

More Work Needs Done

Regulators pointed out 14 specific areas that need polishing, but Holtec is already working on the fixes. Tim Parkes, Head of Safety Regulation for the assessment, was optimistic about the collaboration.

“Our assessment covered 21 technical topic areas, and we have not identified any fundamental shortfalls,” Parkes said. “Throughout the GDA process, Holtec has demonstrated an open-minded and constructive approach that has been instrumental in enabling us to complete our assessment across all areas.”

For the folks at EDF Energy, who are partnering with Holtec at the Cottam site, this is the green light they were waiting for.

“The opportunity to develop a new nuclear power project at the Cottam site is very exciting,” said Jane Bowie, EDF’s SMR Development Director. “This is a fantastic milestone for Holtec, and I congratulate them on the great work they have done with the regulators. This enables us to move forward jointly with the site-specific reactor design assessment phase, which is a key enabler for our small modular reactor development.”