Hitachi Ltd (www.social-innovation.hitachi/uk) and Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy Ltd www.hitachi-hgne.co.jp" target="_blank">(www.hitachi-hgne.co.jp) recently announced that the UK Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) has successfully completed the UK Nuclear Regulators’ Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process within the target period of five years.

This has followed extensive assessment and scrutiny by the Office for Nuclear Regulation, the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales. Hitachi-GE has received on-schedule approval for deployment in the UK, paving the way for the construction of Horizon Nuclear Power’s first unit at Wylfa Newydd on Anglesey, North Wales.

Four ‘generation III+’ ABWRs have previously been successfully built and operated — all to time and budget — making ABWR the world’s most established modern design; it has now achieved approvals under four different regulatory regimes world-wide.

Hitachi has been involved in the construction of power plants for more than 40 years, and it developed the ABWR in collaboration with various international partners.

Toshiaki Higashihara, the company’s president and CEO, said: “I am delighted that the GDA of the UK ABWR has been successfully completed. Hitachi is taking another critically important step forwards in delivering an ABWR for the UK.

"Successfully completing GDA on schedule represents steady, sustained and enduring progress for our UK nuclear projects.”

Duncan Hawthorne, CEO of Horizon Nuclear Power, said: “This is a huge milestone for Horizon and a major leap forward for us in bringing much-needed new nuclear power to the UK.

"Nuclear can deliver high volumes of stable low-carbon energy, which makes it a vital part of the country’s energy mix.”