| Nuclear power
Last Energy PWR-20 visualised (source: Last Energy)
(DAC) or Statement of Design Acceptability (SoDA), but does not guarantee the granting of a site licence.
Rolls-Royce SMR has been established as an independent company, the investors being BNF Resources, Constellation (formerly Exelon Generation), and Qatar Investment Authority, as well as Rolls-Royce. These investors have assigned about 280 million GBP to the SMR development effort so far. Companies involved/ previously involved in development work include Arup, Assystem, Atkins, BAM Nuttall, Jacobs, Laing O’Rourke, NNL, Nuclear AMRC, Siemens, SNC Lavalin, TWI, Wood, as well as Rolls-Royce. Other recent significant steps reported by Rolls-Royce SMR include: the signing of an MoU with Energoatom with a view to deploying Rolls- Royce SMRs in the Ukraine when the country begins its re-build; an MoU with Fortum focused on exploring opportunities in Finland and in Sweden; a memorandum of intent signed with Polish industrial group, Industria; and plans under discussion with CEZ for a fleet of SMRs in the Czech Republic, making use of Skoda JS and Doosan Skoda Power manufacturing facilities in Pilsen.
And the last shall be first? With the UK government’s Future Nuclear Enabling Fund offering to contribute towards the cost of GDA, the UK regulators now find themselves considering a number of potential SMR applicants wanting to enter the GDA process.
Reactor concepts in the GDA pre-application phase include the following:
GE Hitachi BWRX-300, a 300 MWe water- cooled, natural circulation BWR, with passive safety systems adapted from the US-licenced ESBWR.
Holtec SMR-160, 160 MWe PWR developed in collaboration with Mitsubishi and Hyundai. X-energy pebble bed high temperature gas cooled reactor being developed for potential UK applications in collaboration with Cavendish Nuclear.
Newcleo UK–Italian lead-cooled fast reactor. UK Atomics/Copenhagen Atomics containerised thorium molten salt reactor. GMET NuCell reactor, with production to be based at TSP Engineering’s facility in Workington, Cumbria, UK.
One would-be SMR provider decidedly not on this list is newcomer Last Energy, which is proposing what it calls PWR-20, a single loop 20 MWe/60 MWt PWR employing proven pressurised water reactor technology. It says it has “decided not to pursue a GDA route.” Instead “we are going directly for site licensing as we believe that this is the quickest route to get our product to market.”
Instead of having a ‘generic’ design and safety case assessed, followed by a re-iteration for a specific site (as is the case for Hinkley Point C, for example), Last Energy plans to request that the design and safety case are assessed as part of the normal site licence application. “This is in line with ONR guidance”, the company maintains, although different from other projects, and notes that “due to using a standardised design that does not differ by implementation or site, most of the site specific assessment will be applicable for any subsequent sites.”
A spokesperson for the UK Office for Nuclear Regulation said: “GDA is not a mandatory process but, because of its inherent benefits, it is expected that it will usually be requested for new nuclear power plants. GDA is aimed at providing confidence that the proposed design is capable of being constructed, operated and decommissioned in accordance with the standards of safety, security and environmental protection required in Great Britain. For the organisation requesting the GDA, this offers a reduction in uncertainty and project risk ahead of potential future licensing, permitting, construction and regulatory activities. GDA is not a substitute for the nuclear site licensing process but it will make a significant contribution to our assessment of the future site-specific safety case.”
Last Energy notes that “GDA is often used to help de-risk gigawatt scale projects but our projects require smaller amounts of financing and so investors are content to carry that risk. We are also not using new technology – and that’s a point of difference for us.”
Last Energy describes itself as “an energy-as- service provider”, aiming to “design, build, finance, and operate and service its power plants”, providing power to customers “who are looking for long term power contracts for carbon free electricity and heat.”
Last Energy say it is working with the regulatory authorities in the UK to seek the required regulatory approvals for its nuclear site licence, as well as planning permissions, and has had “successful pre-licensing discussions.” US-based Last Energy can certainly not be accused of lacking optimism and ambition. Remarkably, it says it has recently agreed USD $18.9 billion worth of power purchase agreements for 34 of its proposed PWR-20 power plants, ten planned for the Katowicka Special Economic Zone (KSSE) in Poland and 24 in the UK under three new partnerships representing a “diversity of UK industries, including a life sciences campus, sustainable fuels manufacturer, and a developer of hyperscale data centres.” Details not yet revealed, but, remarkably, Last
Above: Last Energy PWR-20 mock-up (source: Last Energy)
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