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Nuclear Reactors

Question for Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

UIN 137076, tabled on 23 April 2018

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Design Acceptance Certificate for the European Pressurised Reactor expires in December 2022.

Answered on

1 May 2018

A Design Acceptance Confirmation (DAC) completes the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) led by the UK’s independent regulators to assess non-site specific (i.e. generic) aspects of new reactor designs. GDA is not a statutory requirement of the nuclear licensing regime and the Office for Nuclear Regulation will only give permission for the start of construction of a nuclear power station based on a site specific safety case as part of the statutory licensing regime.

The DAC for the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) was issued on 13 December 2012 and is valid for a period of ten years. Renewal of the DAC is not mandated. ONR expect to complete its assessment of the EPR site-specific safety case for Hinkley Point C in 2018.

Answered by

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy