The speed with which new nuclear power plants can be deployed will be a major factor in the selection of reactor designs for use in the UK, according to the Times, which quoted a British government spokesman.
The Times reported that an in-depth assessment of reactor designs is underway for use in new British nuclear power plants.
Areva, Toshiba-Westinghouse, GE-Hitachi and Atomic Energy of Canada are competing to deploy their nuclear reactor designs for the new-generation nuclear power plants in the UK.
The designs must be deployable by 2016-22, according to the government official. Besides speed of deployment, safety, security and compatibility with British standards, are being considered as the main criteria for assessing the reactor designs.