Westinghouse has proposed to partner with the UK government in the development of small modular reactor technology.

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Westinghouse has proposed to partner with the UK government in the development of small modular reactor technology.

The proposal outlines a "shared design and development model" under which Westinghouse would contribute its small modular reactor conceptual design and then partner with UK government and industry to complete, license and deploy the design.

The partnership would be structured as a UK-based enterprise jointly owned by Westinghouse, the UK government and UK industry. Westinghouse says it is already in discussion with a number of UK companies that have offered support for the concept.

The Westinghouse SMR is a 225MW integral pressurised water reactor. Protected by redundant passive safety systems, the reactor is housed within a compact containment vessel that is located completely below grade. The design uses many of the key features from the Westinghouse AP1000 plant, including passive safety systems.

The reactor is not yet licensed in the UK. However in September, Westinghouse said that because many of the systems are the same as the Westinghouse AP1000, which is undergoing licensing in the UK, this could potentially reduce the time required for the UK generic design assessment by up to a year, speeding up deployment of the technology.