Small Nuclear Design from GE Vernova Hitachi Clears U.K. Process

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

The small modular reactor (SMR) developed by GE Vernova Hitachi (Wilmington, North Carolina) has successfully completed the second step of the U.K.'s assessment program for nuclear technologies.

The U.K.'s nuclear assessment authority, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), has successfully completed assessing the BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) designed by GE Vernova Hitachi (Wilmington, North Carolina). 

No Safety Issues

The ONR stated that there are "no fundamental safety, security, safeguards or environmental protection shortfalls with the design that could prevent its deployment in Great Britain." The BWRX-300 is a 300-megawatt (MW) water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems, based on the design of and licensing basis of GE Hitachi's Generation III+ Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR).

BWRX-300 Speeds Through Testing

The BWRX-300 entered the assessment program in January 2024 and has completed the first two of the three steps in the fastest time yet, according to the ONR, which completed the tests alongside the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales (NRW). Rob Exley, ONR's Head of the BWRX-300 Generic Design Assessment (GDA), said: "GE Vernova Hitachi opted for a shorter two-step GDA, making it the first requesting party to take advantage of the flexibility we introduced in our modernised GDA process. This means it is the quickest GDA engagement completed to date, facilitated by GE Vernova Hitachi's responsiveness, the quality and maturity of its submissions, learning from previous GDAs, and our active collaboration with regulatory colleagues in the U.S. and Canada who have been evaluating the BWRX-300 in parallel to our assessment." 

"Completing Step 2 of the GDA is a significant regulatory milestone," said Andy Champ, GVH U.K. country leader. "This is the fastest that any technology provider has completed steps 1 and 2, truly demonstrating the value of our progress in construction in Canada and is another sign that the BWRX-300 continues to advance globally." GVH is progressing plans to deploy the BWRX-300 in Poland and Eastern Europe, but has no specific plans to do so in the U.K. at present. Its European partner is Poland's

Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) (Warsaw, Poland), which co-invested in the GDA for the BWRX-300 as part of the U.K. government's Future Nuclear Enabling Fund project 'to benefit from regulatory lessons learned'. In recent weeks OGSE has signed a deal with Blue Bird Energy (BBE) (Sofia, Bulgaria) to partner on the deployment of BWRX-300 SMRs in Bulgaria. OSGE is also working on rolling out the design in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania and Romania. Industrial Info is tracking the first BWRX-300 project under construction at the Darlington nuclear facility in Ontario, Canada. This is scheduled to start operating in 2030 and could be followed by construction of up to three more SMRs in subsequent years. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can learn more by viewing the related project reports.

Where are the Rival SMRs?

SMR designs from Holtec International (Jupiter, Florida) and Westinghouse Electric Company (Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania), are currently in Step 2 of the GDA process while the only SMR design to currently be in the final Step 3 of the GDA is the 470-MW design from Rolls-Royce SMR (London, England). In November, TerraPower (Bellevue, Washington), the mini-nuclear power company founded by tech mogul Bill Gates, entered Step 1 of the process, choosing the U.K. as its first international market. For additional information, see November 10, 2025, article - U.K. First Pick for Bill Gates-backed TerraPower.

Rolls Royce commands a first-mover advantage in the U.K. and is bolstered by the fact that it was chosen as the winner of the U.K. government's SMR competition last summer. This was followed by the government picking Wylfa in Wales as the site for the country's first SMR plant, which will boast three Rolls-Royce SMRs, which are based on small pressurized water reactor (PWR) technology. For additional information, see June 24, 2025, article - U.K. Picks Rolls-Royce for First Mini-Nuclear Plants, and November 25, 2025, article - U.K.'s First SMR Plant Goes to Wales.

Key Takeaways

• GE Vernova Hitachi's  (Wilmington, North Carolina) BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) design has cleared key U.K. assessment challenge.
• The BWRX-300 design was the quickest to pass the first two steps of the assessment process.
• The BWRX-300 is being heavily promoted for a number of future European SMR projects in  Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Romania.

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About IIR News Intelligence
IIR News Intelligence is a trusted source of news for the industrial process and energy markets, powered by Industrial Info Resources' Global Market Intelligence (GMI).

About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 Trillion (USD).